Total Drama Castle Madness
by FrostPrince
Summary: Chris has selected 13 new teenagers to participate in the latest season of Total Drama, taking place in a giant castle in the middle of nowhere. Watch as the new contestants get severely injured both physically and psychologically for five million dollars! Currently, the Final Six are facing a threat to the castle, and soon become the Final Five.
1. The Knight Fight

"Are we on?" Chris McLean asked the cameraman irritably. The camera shook up and down, indicating that the cameraman nodded. Chris cleared his throat, looked in the hand mirror he was holding for a second, threw the mirror away and flashed a brilliant smile at the screen. "Hello, viewers from across the globe!" he began, the excitement in his voice caused by the fact that he'd be able to torture more teenagers on live television. "I'm the popular T.V. host, Chris Mclean! I'm sure you all remember the hit television series Total Drama? Well guess what?" The man paused for a moment to build up suspense, and then shouted joyfully, "WE'RE MAKING A NEW SEASON CALLED TOTAL DRAMA CASTLE MADNESS!"

…There was silence…

Chris waited for a few seconds, and then turned to his left. "You were supposed to cheer!" he told whoever he was facing angrily. The camera panned out to reveal two young men and a woman. You could tell they were interns by the numerous scars on their skin and how their expressions switched from bored to frightened in a split second.

Chris jabbed a finger in their direction. "If you can't remember what we've been practising for the entire week, I might just feed you to the sharks! Got it!"

"Y-y-yes, s-sir," the female stuttered in response, nodding. She was quivering in terror.

With that out of the way, Chris recommenced the speech. "Let's see. Blah blah blah, viewers, blah blah blah, TOTAL DRAMA CASTLE MADNESS!"

This time there was loud cheering, to which Chris smiled in approval. "This season will pit thirteen new teenagers against each other. Now, we were originally going to do the new season at Camp Wawanakwa, but since I sold it to a guy who filled it with toxic waste the government has closed it off to clean it. Therefore, this season will take place at a whole new location. Behold! The McLean Fortress!"

The camera zoomed out to reveal a gigantic blue castle. It was located in the middle of grassland that stretched for miles in every direction.

Again there was silence and Chris looked to the interns, furious at how they weren't doing what they were supposed to do. How hard was it to perform such a simple task? After a long moment of glaring, cheering quickly followed and Chris composed himself once more. "The contestants will be staying here for around a month, and during that time they will have to endure painful challenges, the revolting food and of course… each other!"

A tiny yellow plane could be seen flying overhead. Chris looked up at it, and then faced the camera. "Our contestants are supposed to arrive in those, so it looks like our first one is here." The plane landed safely and swiftly, letting a girl walk out the door. It then flew away at high speed.

The girl was rather tall with long red hair, swamp green eyes and darkish skin. Her clothing consisted of a pair of plain indigo jeans and an orange, short-sleeved, hooded sweater. "No way! I'm first to arrive! This is so amazing!" the girl screeched ecstatically.

"Welcome!" Chris greeted her with clearly fake enthusiasm. "Why don't you say hi to the camera?"

The teenage girl held her hands to her cheeks in sudden realization. "Oh my gosh, I totally forgot!" She happily bounced up to the camera and waved rapidly. "Hi, viewing world! I'm Cookie! I'm very hyper and I'm a very optimistic person. Other things you should know about me are that I like chocolate chip cookies, my pet bird's name is Janet, and lastly… I'm here to win!"

"That's… great," Chris said flatly after Cookie finished introducing herself.

"But don't underestimate me!" Cookie added. "I can be vicious during challenges if I want to."

"Whatever!" Chris pushed Cookie out of view.

The second yellow plane appeared from the sky, landing right next to Chris. A boy of average height wearing plain blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and with brown hair and brown eyes stepped off. "Hey, Chris!"

"Hey, Nathan!" Chris greeted the new arrival. "Good to have you here."

"Thanks," Nathan thanked him. "I hope to bring some sanity and goodness to the show. The past contestants were just plain mean."

"Whatever," Chris grumbled.

The third plane rested on the ground, allowing another boy to exit... a really small boy. He had short-cropped blond hair, hazel eyes, pale white skin and wore a green t-shirt with green shorts. He looked at everyone for a few seconds before going to stand silently next to Cookie, who looked awkwardly at him.

"This is Toady," Chris finally spoke when Toady didn't introduce himself… or do anything, for that matter. "We don't exactly know who he is."

"Then why'd you choose him?" Cookie asked the host, tilting her head slightly as she gazed at Toady curiously.

"Oh I didn't choose him. The producers did," Chris responded. He simply shrugged, saying, "Perhaps you'll find out what's going on inside his tiny little head later. For now, let's welcome the next contestant!"

"Well, this'll be a pleasant month," a third boy, this one a little smaller than average, spoke sarcastically as he stepped out of his plane. "Let's see. A happy-go-lucky chick, a nice guy and a silent kid. I thought the contestants would be more diverse this season."

"Whatever," Chris replied. "And everyone, say hello to Drew."

Drew wore a blue, sleeveless shirt and dark green, camouflage-patterned cargo pants. He had chocolate brown hair, teal eyes and had olive skin. If he didn't wear a near-emotionless expression on his face people would probably say he was a rather cute-looking guy.

"Should I officially introduce myself?" Drew asked the host as his plane rocketed away.

"Again, whatever," Chris responded.

Drew gently pushed Chris away. His eyes widened as he looked at Drew, offended.

"Now then," Drew said, unaware of how he had hurt Chris' feelings. "I'm Drew. I'm not exactly interested in making friends. I'm here more for the experience and, of course, the money. I'm pretty good at playing detective and can solve mysteries that usually baffle the average person. Once I even caught a thief back in my hometown."

"Really?" Cookie asked, impressed by the feat Drew said to have accomplished.

"Yes, it's true," Drew confirmed. "Anyway, that's boring ol' me. Moving on…." He went to stand with the growing group of contestants.

A plane appeared and two people exited it, a boy and a girl. The boy had long black hair with bangs that covered his left eye. He had emerald green eyes, slightly pale skin and sported a storm blue t-shirt and grey pants. As for the girl, she had shoulder length, curly brown hair, grey eyes and wore a hot-pink blouse with blue pants. They walked hand in hand, showing that the two were in a relationship. Both were smiling. "Hey, Chris!" the boy said, high-fiving him.

"Yeah, hi!" the girl said, as well.

"'Sup, guys!" Chris greeted the couple. "I already know who you are, but the audience at home doesn't."

The two teens nodded and went up to the camera. "Hi!" the boy commenced. "I'm Kane and this is my girlfriend, Sara.".

Sara waved and continued, "We figured that TDCM would be a fun thing to do for the summer, so we signed up right away. We hope to have a wonderful time here!"

Chris pointed to the other teens, where Kane and Sara went to stand. Toady stared at them with inquisitive eyes, and the two new TDCM participants looked confused. "What's with him?" Kane inquired.

"Perhaps he's just a shy person," Nathan suggested.

Throughout all of this, Toady continued to look at everyone intently..

With the arrival of the next plane came the next female competitor. She had grey hair that was worn in a tight bun, had stern brown eyes and bright red lips. She was wearing a simple mud brown shirt and black pants.

The girl glared at everyone as if they were all guilty of some sort of crime. She passed by Chris, who exclaimed, "Hello? You have to introduce yourself! I don't feel like doing it for you!"

The girl now looked completely uninterested as she slowly made her way to the camera. "Hello. I'm Thorna. Did you know that each of us was given a stereotype label on the internet by Chris? I'm not going to tell you the one given to me by our stupid host because I find that it does not represent my personality at ALL!"

"It's 'The Strict Chick'," Chris whispered to the cameraman.

"Anyway," Thorna continued, "I'm going to dominate this game because I KNOW how to control a team. If they are smart they'll listen to my orders or they will have their sorry butts out of this game!"

"I know I'm not going to listen to her," Kane muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Thorna demanded, walking right up to Kane so their faces were only inches apart. "Did you say something, punk?"

"Yes, I did, you arrogant, disrespectful jerk!" Kane retorted, standing on his tip-toes to make himself taller than Thorna. "If I'm placed on your team then I certainly won't listen to a wicked, uptight, superior-acting chick. Show some respect!"

Thorna was taken aback by these words. "You'll regret this, punk," Thorna replied, staring menacingly at him. Kane narrowed his eyes and growled in response.

"Fellas, please, let's not fight before the show has even begun," Nathan pleaded, cutting in between the quarrelling contestants. "Now no one should be trying to control others or using lots of adjectives to insult someone." Nathan looked at Thorna, and then at Kane. The two looked away from each other, crossing their arms in annoyance. Their eyes screamed, "The second I get the chance, I'll kill you."

"Ha-ha! I love when drama starts at the beginning of the show," Chris professed, grinning widely. "This is going to be a great season."

The subsequent plane came, and a girl with dirty blonde hair stepped out. She wore a purple shirt and tight-fitting pants of the same colour She had piercing green eyes. The girl leaped into the air and landed right in front of the cameraman, who took a step back. "No need to be afraid, dear. I only kill people I hate, and there's no reason to hate you..."

"Well," Sara pointed out, "They ARE going to be invading our privacy for the next month."

"Vell... yes, zere's zat," the new girl admitted. "Anyvay." Once again she jumped into the air and this time came face to face with Sara. "Hm. You're very frail, child." She then turned to Nathan. "You are a toozpick." Finally, she faced Thorna. "You have a lot of stress lines. Do you not like your life? I can end it, if you vant. I know vone chundred and vone vays to kill someone!"

"IFRENA!" Chris bellowed. "SHUT UP!"

Ifrena rolled her eyes and returned to the cameraman. "Chello, everyvun! I'm Ifrena. I vas trained as a spy and an assassin vhen I vas young. Do you see my beautiful green eyes? Zey are ze last tzing somevone sees before I kill zem!"

"That's great," Chris remarked sardonically. Ifrena went to join the other contestants... or at least she tried. Everyone slowly sidestepped away from the crazy spy-ssassin girl.

The next contestant to arrive was a muscular male. He was friendly looking and had short black hair with sky blue eyes. He wore a grey t-shirt, a dark green vest and green shorts. "Hello, everyone!" the boy said in a deep but kind voice.

"Hey, Axel," Chris greeted him. "It's good to have someone with character here."

Ifrena huffed in offense.

"Thanks, Chris," Axel replied. "I'm a battle strategist, in case anyone's wondering," he told his fellow castmates.

"We're not," Thorna responded, narrowing her eyebrows.

Ignoring Thorna, Axel continued, "I'm an expert when it comes to planning and executing fights both large and small. Strategy is key to victory."

"So you're a fighter, yah?" Ifrena inquired. "Vell, I certainly look forward to having a good battle vith you."

"Same to you," Axel smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever" Chris grumbled, shoving him aside. "Now let's welcome the next contestant, Liannea."

"Hey-ey!" Liannea waved wildly from her plane as it descended. She spoke in a valley girl accent. "Oh em gee, hi guys! It's so great to be here!"

All of the boys (except for the loyal boyfriend Kane) were staring in awe at her. Liannea wore a sleeveless, short, sparkling purple dress and tan-coloured sandals that matched her tanned skin. She had amber eyes and chocolate brown hair. With a threatening glare the boys stopped staring.

"So, Liannea," Chris started, "What are you doing on TDCM?"

"I want the money, of course!" Liannea exclaimed.

"It's so obvious that people want the money," Kane muttered to Sara, who giggled. "Of course they do. Who wouldn't want tons of cash?"

The next contestant to arrive stepped out of his plane. He was handsome, tall, had messy black hair, dark blue eyes and wore a brown t-shirt with blue jeans and a jean jacket. He wore glasses that the girls (besides Sara) thought made him look even sexier. "Hey, ladies," he spoke in a deep, sexy voice.

"Heyyyy." Cookie, Liannea, Thorna and Ifrena sighed dreamily.

"I'm Mark," Mark introduced himself. "Don't let my hotness fool you. I'm not an idiot. I'm actually quite intelligent. Not that I brag about it."

"Oh, it's okay to brag," Cookie insisted, swooning over the gorgeous guy before her.

"Why, thank you," Mark smiled, flashing his sparkling white teeth. Both Cookie and Liannea sighed even more.

"What's up, people?" a girl greeted the contestants while exiting her plane. "Actually, I don't really care about anyone here. I mean, you're all going to die someday so why even bother?"

"Well that just made me slightly less happy," Cookie complained.

"That's what I aim for," the girl said, grinning evilly. The girl was pale, had straight, shoulder length black hair and dark blue eyes. She wore dark purple pants and a navy blue shirt. She grabbed the camera from the cameraman and held it to her face. "What's up? I'm Dalia Rhea. The world sucks and the people in it suck, so I feel like it's my duty to let them know that."

"That's very considerate of you," Kane said, rolling his eyes.

Leaning closer to the camera, Dalia whispered, "Actually, I only do that so I can see people's reactions. They're priceless!"

"Could you give me back my camera?" The cameraman asked, annoyed. Dalia shoved the camera into his arms and joined the group of teens that were staring angrily at her.

"Though a lot of drama has happened so far, I'm still a little bored," Chris admitted while yawning.

"Back off, b****!" Dalia yelled as Ifrena poked at her to examine the strange girl.

"And suddenly… I'm not bored anymore," Chris stated, smiling. "Now attention, teens!" he shouted to get everyone's attention. "The last person to be introduced to you is... Gordon."

Gordon was emotionless as he left his plane. He was slightly smaller than average. He had messy, pitch-black hair, solemn ice blue eyes and had longish legs. He sported a black hooded sweater worn over a deep blue t-shirt and baggy blue jeans. He wore a mud brown belt to keep his pants up. His expression was solemn and unreadable.

"Is this castle even safe?" he asked.

"Yes," Chris nodded. "Now why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?"

"No," he replied monotonously.

"Come on!" Chris pressed on. "Tell the world who you are."

"No."

...Chris looked at Gordon...

...Gordon looked at Chris...

"Fine!" Chris threw his arms up in defeat. "And that's everyone!" he exclaimed brightly, and then sighed in relief. The intros were finally over. "Welcome, all of you, to Total! Drama! Castle Madness!" Chris welcomed the teenagers. Before he could continue, though, he was bombarded with tons of questions."

"What are our teams going to be?"

"Does Chef still cook the food?"

"Can I go to the bathroom?"

"Be quiet you impatient little brats!" Chris commanded furiously.

"Uh, Chris, who are they?" Sara asked the host, pointing to the three interns.

"They're my interns," Chris explained. "Or at least, they were..." He pushed them back. "But now I'm going to fire them because they don't cheer when they're supposed to."

The ex-interns sulked away.

"Now then. Allow me to start off by saying, 'welcome to hell'," Chris smirked. "For at least a month, all of you are going to get hurt both physically and emotionally as you battle it out for five! Million! Dollars!"

Excited murmurs echoed throughout the group of teens.

Chris turned to face the camera. "Watch as these teenagers brave deadly obstacles throughout their stay at the castle, all for a ton of cash. Who will triumph? Who will fail miserably? Find out when we return on TOTAL! DRAMA! CASTLLLLE MADNESSSS!"

* * *

"So, the challenges are basically medieval-based?" Mark asked for confirmation as they crossed a drawbridge to head into the castle. A moat encircled the whole structure.

"That's correct," Chris nodded.

"Oh! Oh! Chris!" Cookie held her hand up and jumped up and down excitedly.

"Yes, Cookie?" Chris inquired exasperatedly.

"Who cooks the food? I'm hoping it's a five star chef."

Chris stopped dead in his tracks, glanced at Cookie for a split second, and then burst out laughing. "You... you actually think...five star chef.. HA!" he wiped tears from his eyes and then, composing himself, he answered, "No, Cookie. It's not a five star chef. It's the one and only Chef Hatchet!"

"Oh," Cookie said. "I guess that's okay."

"ARE YOU CALLING ME A BAD CHEF?" the famous African-American cook roared from the castle entrance. Some were amazed to see the Chef in real life, while others were just revolted by his dirty white apron.

"Don't you clean your clothes?" Dalia asked. "And don't even get me started on the smell! It's revolting and makes a skunk's scent seem like perfume!"

"OF COURSE I CLEAN MYSELF!" Chef bellowed, the shout making Dalia's hair stick up. "FOR YOUR INFORMATION, YOU LITTLE PIPSQUEAK, I WAS WORKING ON… your lunch." Chef smiled devilishly. He began to cackle maniacally, and some of the contestants looked worried and scared.

"OK, Chef, that's enough," Chris calmed the mad cook down. "Go back to making the… whatever it is you were making."

Chef grunted and began to grumble about how kids should respect their elders. He went over to a wall and knocked on three different bricks three times. A doorway opened up and disappeared when Chef walked through it, leaving the teenagers baffled.

"How... how did he do that?" Axel asked in disbelief.

"Don't you know anything about medieval castles?" Chris asked.

The contestants shook their heads.

"Uch!," Chris sighed irritably. "In medieval castles there are secret networks accessed by multiple hidden entrances that lead to anywhere in the building. Duh!"

"Will this secret network be used in any of our challenges?" Gordon asked,

"Yes," Chris nodded. "Now let's continue."

The host led the contestants through many corridors and up and down countless flights of stairs, all the while pointing out important places. "This is my quarters," he declared as they passed a pair of large, fancy doors. "If any of you go in there, I swear I will hunt you down and end you."

"You can get sued for saying that," Dalia pointed out.

"But I'd still hunt you down," Chris grinned.

They turned a corner and reached another set of large doors, except this time they were made of decaying, mud brown wood. Chris pushed the doors open to reveal, "The guest quarters, or in other words, the room you'll stay in for the season."

To put it bluntly, the guest quarters were... terrible, to say the least. It was a long, rectangular room with pale-coloured plate-glass windows lining the walls. Beds were lined up at each side, and they were dusty, dirty and in near disrepair.

"You expect us to sleep here?" Drew raised an eyebrow.

"It's either that, or you sleep with Chef in his own quarters," Chris shrugged. "And trust me, you don't want that. He sleepfarts."

Everyone cringed in disgust.

"Now then," Chris continued. "Do you see that table in the middle of the room?"

"We're not blind," Dalia deadpanned.

The table was made of crumbling wood like the doors. "For nearly every challenge, I will send an envelope with a clue inside that will be placed on the table. Decipher the clue and you'll find me." Chris closed the doors to the room and took out a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket. "Now it's time to create your teams."

"That's, like, so awesome!" Liannea cheered.

"Ooh! Ooh! Which team am I on?" Cookie asked excitedly.

"I'm going to tell you now," Chris replied irritably. "When I call you name, come to my left." He began to read the names out loud. "Kane, Thorna, Toady, Sara, Mark, Nathan and Axel."

The selected teens did as they were told.

"The rest of you: Gordon, Dalia, Ifrena, Cookie, Drew and Liannea. You're a team, as well."

"We're on the same team!" Kane and Sara hugged each other.

"I'm fine with my team," Dalia said, "Except for the fact that they probably haven't gotten a decent amount of exercise in their lives and will most likely become obese throughout the season."

Dalia's team frowned at her. "That was, like, so not cool of you," Liannea told her, tears forming in her eyes.

"Alright, alright," Chris held up his hands to calm everyone down. "The first team with the love birds, you're the Perilous Platypuses. As for the team with little miss sunshine over there, you're the Notorious Narwhals."

"Ha-ha!" Dalia began to laugh hysterically. "You're name's the Perilous Platypuses. Pee Pee, for short. Get it?"

More frowning from Dalia's team ensued.

"How do these names relate to the medieval era in any way," Thorna questioned the host.

"They don't," Chris admitted. "I just chose them at random." Turning to leave, he informed the teens, "I'll leave you be for now. In about an hour I'll send the envelope with the clue."

With that, he was gone.

* * *

The thirteen teenagers sat awkwardly in a circle. Thorna was glaring at Kane, who was glaring back. Nathan was looking at both of them nervously. Sara was giving Mark a disgusted look as he gave _her _a seductive wink. Axel was whistling to himself. Gordon and Dalia were deep in thought while Cookie made happy and sad faces each time she waved her hand up and down her face. Drew was inspecting dust particles on the ground with his magnifying glass while Ifrena watched. Liannea tapped the marble floor with her nails impatiently.

Fifteen minutes passed by like this before Kane finally had the courage to speak up.

"So…" he commenced, not knowing what to say. "Um… well… why don't we get into our teams…?"

Within a split second everyone stood up, relieved to have something to do besides sit there.

Dalia stood on the bed with her right fist raised in the air. "Alright, people! We, the Notorious Narwhals, have to be strong. You can all see that the opposing team has one more player than us, but we won't let that stop us! In fact, the only things that CAN stop us are broken bones, deadly diseases and Chef's food."

"But we're all susceptible to those things," Gordon pointed out. "_Especially _Chef's food."

"Exactly!" Dalia snickered, and then composed herself. "Um, anyway, I say that we should pick a group leader. I vote for myself. Any objections?"

"I object to the whole notion of having a team captain," Gordon declared. "Having one person controlling the others will eventually lead to our demise due to us not working as a unified group."

"Wow, that's, like, really smart of you," Liannea complemented him. "But if we did have to have a team captain, I'd choose you."

During all of this, Cookie was jumping up and down with no apparent sign of stopping. Ifrena walked up to her and asked, "Vhat are you doing?"

"I'm just jumpy 'cause I'm excited about being here," Cookie replied. "I know we're going to kick butt in today's challenge! Woohoo!"

"Oh, I know ve vill vin," Ifrena told the hyper girl. "After all, vith my skills I vill defeat ze opponents single-handedly!"

"That's the spirit!" Cookie replied cheerfully, unaware of Ifrena's superior attitude.

"Can I say something?" Drew asked.

The Narwhals gave him their full attention.

"I think someone should spy on the other team. We need an official spy!"

"I'll do it!" Ifrena eagerly volunteered.

"Um, no offense or anything, but I kind of doubt everything you said about being a spy and an assassin," Dalia admitted.

Ifrena jumped high in the air and disappeared from sight. She then appeared behind Dalia on the bed and poked her shoulder, making her yelp in fright. "You see?" Ifrena asked. "I. Can. Spy."

"You're a spy. Got it," Dalia nodded swiftly.

Meanwhile, the Perilous Platypuses were getting along more or less the same way…

"I should be team captain!" Thorna shouted.

"No, I should!" Mark growled back.

"I think that you're both INSANE!" Kane screamed over the loud exchange between the other two. "No one is going to be a 'team captain', because then it wouldn't be a team, but it would be a sort of monarchy! Now how about you two get that in your heads and let's discuss strategy… as a team."

Kane slumped down onto his bed and gave a heavy sigh. Sara pulled away from the others and sat in his lap. "Looks like we're all off to a great start," Kane remarked sarcastically.

"Hey, hey," Sara told Kane. "It's not bad. We'll all work through the small problems and in the end we'll be an unstoppable force."

"I guess so," Kane said. He put his head in his hands. "I expected this to be easier, though." He looked at the rest of his team, who were still arguing.

Sara gently lifted Kane's head so that they were looking at each other. "Don't worry," she comforted him. "I bet they'll all stop quarrelling if you tell them to. You're a nice and intelligent person, so they'll have to listen to you."

Kane smiled. "Sure they will," he rolled his eyes. He put a hand on Sara's shoulder. "Thanks for the talk."

"It's what I'm here for," Sara grinned. She kissed his cheek and motioned for him to join her with the other contestants, who were now wondering what the challenge will be.

"From what I've seen," said Axel, "Chris always saves his better, more dangerous challenges for later, so we'll be doing something simple. However, don't think that it won't be painful, 'cause from watching all seasons I should know that EVERY challenge is painful."

"I don't know," Nathan argued. "I think Chris wants to give us a big challenge today. I think he'll probably throw something majorly challenging at us."

"Excuse me? Who's the one with the vast knowledge on battle strategy?" Axel asked rhetorically.

"This better not turn out like Courtney from Total Drama Island," Thorna prayed. "Ugh, I remember how she always said that she was a C.I.T. It made me want to rip my hair out and throw the remote at the T.V.!"

"You're kind of like Courtney, too," Mark said. "You know, what with the whole 'I should lead this team' thing."

"But you're doing that to!"

The fighting recommenced. Kane and Sara sighed heavily.

Toady sat on his bed at the corner next to the door. He watched as the table in the center of the room disappeared under the floor, and a second later it reappeared with the envelope Chris had promised. Toady hopped off of his bed and raced over to the table, where he opened the envelope, read the letter, put the letter down and ran out of the room.

"Hey!" Thorna called, finally noticing her other teammate. "'Where do you think you're going?"

"Hey guys! Look," Sara pointed to the table, where the unopened envelope lay. She advanced towards the table and picked up the paper with the clue. "It says, 'The first challenge area can be seen through the queen.' What does that mean?"

"Toady looked like he knew," Gordon said, "But I don't think he knew anything about the queen."

"Oh my gosh!" Liannea gasped in realization. "A queen!" She went over to a window, which was constructed of coloured glass that formed a picture of...

"A queen!" Liannea repeated. "Like, look through the window, everyone!" She peered through the glass and spotted Chris on the ground below. "Like, follow me, everyone!"

Liannea ran out of the room, followed by Cookie, who was cartwheeling, and soon everyone had exited their quarters and were making their way to the bottom level of the castle.

******Confessional**

(Toady) Yay! I found the confessionals first! Too bad they're in the bathroom again. Anyway, I'm intelligent. That's all you need to know about me, and the fact that I don't like to speak in front of people. Don't ask about it. Anyway, I've got to prove to my team that I'm an important asset to them, but how do I do that?

******End Confessional**

* * *

The Perilous Platypuses and Notorious Narwhals arrived at their destination at the same time. It was the back of the castle, where the grassy land started and continued for who knew how far. "Hey, cool! You made it!" Chris exclaimed. "Too bad Toady found me first."

"Toady?" everyone asked. hey looked to the left to spot Toady, as emotionless as ever, getting into thick armour and wielding a sword.

"It's a challenge I like to call... the Knight Fight!"

"How original," Kane muttered.

"So, like, what do we have to do?" Liannea asked.

"Easy," Chris responded. "You'll each have to go get suited up in armour. There's a pile of it over there." He pointed at the pile in question. "Your goal is to continuously hit your enemies until they fall dead... er, I mean, until they give up or fall unconscious. Last person standing wins for their team. Understood?"

"Yep!" everyone called.

Toady finished dressing up in his armour. His helmet visor was not staying up no matter what he did. Mark spoke up. "Um, Chris? The visors suck, so how will we see who we're hitting?"

"Oh, you won't," Chris responded with an evil grin. "I really love this show… anyway… get suited up!"

The competitors did as they were told. Nathan had difficulty putting the heavy armour on while Thorna accidentally dropped her helmet on her left foot. Sara couldn't find a sword, but Kane spun her around so she could see him holding an extra sword. "Thanks."

"Anytime,' he replied.

"These things are so heavy!" Thorna complained. "And they rattle too much when I walk. I can't see! I'm feeling sweaty…!"

"ZIP IT!" Chris shouted. "Is everyone ready?"

The contestants all nodded.

"Three… two… one… GO!"

"Wait!" Thorna called to her teammates when they began to disperse. "We're going to stick together and take down everyone one by one."

The Platypuses looked at her for a second before resuming the dispersion.

"Or not," Thorna grumbled.

******Confessional**

(Thorna) Why... won't... they... listen... to... ME?!

******End Confessional**

* * *

"Sword clanging on helmet! Making loud noises!" Nathan howled and spoke in incomplete sentences as Dalia repeatedly hit her sword against the top of his helmet.

"Ow! You b****!" Thorna shrieked as Cookie swung her sword, hitting her on the head. "You'll pay for that!" She lunged, her sword bouncing off of Cookie's chest. Momentarily thrown off, Cookie rammed right into Thorna, sending the two girls to the ground.

"Kane!" Sara cried for help as she tried to fend off Gordon. Gordon wasn't that good at sword-fighting, but Sara was just as bad. Since Gordon knew about deflecting blows and countering, he had the advantage.

Sara was pushed to the ground. "Sorry," Gordon told her as he prepared to strike. Sara brought her arms out in front of her to defend herself, but she knew that she would be a goner when Gordon hit her in the head. However, before Gordon's sword could come down…

Kane intervened. He kicked Gordon sideways, sending him to the ground. Gordon, however, wouldn't go down without a fight. He quickly regained his footing and jabbed Kane's chest armour with his sword, pushing him back a few feet. Kane had more upper body strength though, and the second he found an opportunity he swung his sword as hard as he could. It clanged against Gordon's helmet, making him dizzy. Sara then came from behind and dealt the final blow to the head that sent the enemy to the ground, where he stayed.

"Nice job, sweetheart," Kane complemented Sara.

"You too, babe," Sara returned the complement. They both laughed.

Thorna and Cookie were battling alongside Drew and Dalia. Nathan lay on the ground, defeated. All of them didn't know who was who. Thorna raised her sword, holding it with both hands, and thrust downward. Cookie stepped backwards and then charged at Thorna, sending both girls to the ground once again. Thorna tried to push the Narwhal girl off of her, but her attempts were futile; Cookie had her pinned. In a last effort to get her off, she tucked her feet to her chest and pushed upward, accidentally shooting Cookie into Drew. Drew went down and remained down, but Cookie got up and faced Dalia.

They proceeded to hit each other. "Take that! And that!" Cookie shouted, laughing heartily. "I love this game!"

"Eat sword!" Dalia cried out boldly.

Cookie lifted her foot and kicked Dalia's helmet, making her ears ring to the point where she could no longer bear it. She lay defeated on the ground.

Thorna quickly moved away from Cookie, fearing for her life.

Chris was watching everything transpire from a lawn chair while sipping tomato juice. "It looks like Gordon, Drew, Nathan and Dalia are out. The Platypuses have the upper hand."

It was then that Thorna walked into view. Her body decided it couldn't take any more beatings. She fell to the ground like the people before her.

"And another Platypus is down," Chris commentated.

******Confessional**

(Dalia) Who the hell beat me? It sounded like a familiar, irritating person... was it actually COOKIE?!

(Thorna) I hate this! Now I look like a weakling because I couldn't take the pain! Some team leader I am.

******End Confessional**

Toady had found Mark and was drawing pictures in the grass that showed him with a cloud bubble next to him, and in it was the castle. For added effect, there was a rainbow over the figure that represented Toady on the ground. The drawing was supposed to represent how Toady was intelligent and would be the master of the game, but Mark took it as something completely different…

"Cool," Mark said, faking being impressed. "You dream of having a happily ever after and ruling a kingdom someday? That's nice, kid."

Toady smacked his own forehead in annoyance.

Ifrena appeared behind Mark and gripped Mark's exposed neck, pressing down hard and rendering him unconscious. "Good night, little child."

Liannea found Toady and Ifrena, and Ifrena backed away, leaving Toady to fend for himself. "Prepare to totally taste my awesome wrath!" Liannea cried.

Toady was helpless, for he was so weak that he couldn't lift up his sword. He rolled under Liannea's legs as the enemy sword stuck itself in the area Toady was in before. Toady lifted his leg and kicked Liannea in the butt, sending her toppling down. The girl rolled over to face upwards and swiped at Toady with her weapon, beating him.

Cookie then went over and knocked Liannea out, unbeknownst to her that it was her ally. Ifrena heard Liannea's scream and went up to Cookie. "Who are you?"

"I'm Cookie," Cookie responded.

"Vell… you just defeated a member from your own team!" she informed her, shouting furiously.

"Well, excuse me for not knowing!" Cookie retorted furiously.

Sara appeared behind Cookie's back and knocked her unconscious with a swipe of her sword. "Sweet dreams," she said, grinning victoriously behind her helmet…

…She then looked up to see Ifrena hovering over her. "Goodbye, little child!" Ifrena cackled. She swung her sword…

"NOO!" Kane cried as he watched his girlfriend fall. She remained on the ground for a few seconds while Ifrena laughed at his victory.

Kane rushed over to Sara's side. "Sara," he asked, tears forming in his eyes. "Sara, are you okay?"

"Don't worry about me," Sara choked. "Right now… just focus on… winning."

"I can't leave you here," Kane told her.

"Actually, you can," Chris called to him from across the field. "She's out of the challenge."

"You heard Chris," Sara coughed. "Fight the other team… and win… for us."

"I will," Kane promised, holding Sara in his arms. "I will win!"

"Can we hurry up! All this sappy love stuff is making me bored!" Chris yawned.

"SHUT IT, MCLEAN!" Dalia snapped. The defeated competitors were getting up and going to the side so they could watch the exciting challenge.

Kane gently placed Sara on the ground and turned to face the other enemies.

"Let's see who's out," Chris announced. "We've got, from the Notorious Narwhals, Dalia, Gordon, Cookie, Liannea and Drew. Platypuses are Toady, Thorna, Mark, Nathan, Sara and..."

"Hey!" Ifrena shouted to Axel, extending her sword arm and knocking him to the ground, unconscious.

"... Axel is also out," Chris grinned. "It's anyone's game now. We're down to Ifrena and Kane."

Kane flexed his fingers and gripped his sword tightly.

"Ha-ha! Please!" Ifrena told the Platypus. "You zink you can last against me? In your pazetic little dreams!"

Kane's eyes narrowed in on his victim. He took one step forward, and then another, and then…

At full speed, he rammed right into Ifrena, pushing her a metre or two back.

"Vhy you little…!" Ifrena couldn't even form a complete sentence in her rage. Kane just smiled.

"You'll pay for zat!" Ifrena declared. She rushed forward and the battle began…

* * *

Neither Kane nor Ifrena were giving up so easily. Stroke after stroke, blow after blow, and yet the two were equally matched. How this was happening, Ifrena could not fathom.

Kane lunged with his sword once more, and once again it was blocked by Ifrena. "Just give up already, Kane!" she yelled. "You cannot defeat me!"

"I will not back down!" Kane answered with determination in his voice. "I will reign supreme!"

"You can do it, Kane!" Sara cheered.

"Ifrena, we need to win this!" Dalia shouted to her teammate.

The two teenagers prepared to engage in combat one last time. Both of them knew that after this battle… only one would be left standing.

"Let's go already!" Chris whined. "I don't have all day!"

…Ifrena readied her sword…

…Kane stretched his legs…

…Ifrena adjusted her helmet…

…Kane waved his sword tauntingly…

…and then…

…the two…

FOUGHT!

Kane swiped at her head, but Ifrena ducked. Ifrena kicked upwards to hit the private area, but Kane back-stepped. He lunged, but Ifrena caught the sword in her hands. She punched, but Kane deflected it with a flick of his arm.

Finally, Ifrena did the unexpected… she threw her sword.

Kane didn't see it coming. The bottom end of the sword hit him square in the forehead, knocking him to the ground. The other contestants gasped.

Kane struggled to get up, but he was too weak. He tried with all his might, but…

He stayed down.

"The Notorious Narwhals win!" Chris declared.

The Narwhals cheered. The Platypuses took off their armour and threw it to the ground angrily.

Sara walked up to where Kane lay in the grass, tired from the challenge. She bent down and peeled off his helmet. "Kane?"

"I'm fine," he assured her. "I'm kind of bummed that we lost, though."

"You tried your best," Sara reassured him, bringing him to his feet. "You're always a winner in my book."

"Thanks."

"That's all really nice and emotional and stuff," Chris told the couple when he arrived to join the contestants, "But save it all for later when you're not on camera. For now, the Notorious Narwhals can go to the bedroom. As for the Perilous Platypuses… I'll be seeing you early at night for the elimination ceremony."

The Platypuses sighed and walked away.

******Confessional**

(Thorna) Thanks a lot, Kane! We just lost, and it's all because of you!

(Kane) I really let my team down today. I probably shouldn't hope that they'll forgive me, 'cause they probably won't.

(Sara) I feel so bad for Kane. To lose a challenge for the team... he must be going through hell right now.

(Axel) I should have been the master at the challenge, and instead I was knocked out. Focus, Axel!

(Nathan) It's sad that we have to vote someone out. Everyone is so nice here... except for maybe Thorna.

(Mark) I bet that if my helmet's visor had been up none of the girls would've attacked me, specifically Ifrena. Then I could've dominated the game.

(Toady) I'm not worried at all. I think Kane should be, though.

******End Confessional**

* * *

It was nighttime when the Perilous Platypuses made their way downstairs to the main entrance of the castle. The drawbridge was open, letting a cool night breeze in. They were in the tiny foyer, and standing behind a podium was Chris. "Welcome, Perilous Platypuses, to your first elimination, and to the first elimination ceremony of this season. Have a seat." He indicated towards the tiny wooden stools placed in a half-circle in front of him.

The seven Perilous Platypuses obeyed and sat down.

"Now due to budget cuts," Chris commenced, "And the fact that most of the money was spent on renting this castle, the symbol of safety for this season is a delicious piece of mint gum. Isn't that nice?"

"It's simply delightful," Thorna exclaimed with fake enthusiasm.

"The rules of the elimination ceremony are simple," Chris told the Platypuses. "I have six pieces of gum. There are seven of you. One of you will not receive a piece of gum and will have to leave immediately across the Bridge of Shame."

"Why does everything related to elimination have to have 'shame' in it?" Thorna asked.

"Because I like it!" Chris snapped defensively. "Now you have all cast your votes. The first person who's safe is... Axel."

"Phew," Axel sighed in relief as he went up to claim his gum. He popped it into his mouth victoriously.

"Sara."

Sara smiled and walked over to Chris, where he placed the gum in her hands.

"Nathan."

Nathan did the same.

"Mark."

"Of course," Mark commented, holding out his hands. Chris frowned but tossed him his gum nonetheless.

"Another person who's safe is... Thorna."

"A wise choice, my fellow teammates," Thorna smirked as she claimed her gum. Some people were regretting not voting for her.

Now it was down to Kane and Toady. Toady was perfectly composed as he patiently waited for Chris to call his name. Kane, meanwhile, was on the verge of crying. He had his head down, staring sadly at the ground.

"The last person to get a piece of gum is..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"Kane."

Kane looked up, shocked to hear his name come at the end of Chris' sentence. "Are you... are you serious?"

"That's right," Chris nodded. "You're staying for another day, buddy."

"Kane!" Sara cried joyfully, running up and kissing him

Toady sat there in shock. He didn't even complain when Chef barged in, grabbed Toady by his shirt and tossed him out of the castle, far away into the horizon.

"Wasn't that an exciting start for the season?" Chris asked the camera. The cameraman sighed, but Chris shushed him. "What will happen next? Will Kane make up for his team's loss today? Will Thorna learn to be nice? Will Cookie annoy the pants off of every single contestant? Find out next time on TOTAL! DRAMA! CASTLLLLE MADNESSSS!

******Confessional ~The Votes~**

(Kane) Thorna's the only person on my team who truly deserves to be eliminated.

(Thorna) You screwed up, Kane. Now, this is goodbye.

(Toady) Kane is so dead.

(Sara) I'm voting for Thorna. That Hell queen should leave.

(Axel) Out of everyone here, it's not Kane or Thorna who should be eliminated. It's the weakest person on the team, and that's Toady. Besides, if Kane were to be eliminated, then that would probably make Sara go on a rampage, and the universe knows we need our faces intact.

(Mark) During the challenge, Toady started randomly doodling on the ground about fairytales. We don't need daydreamers on this team! We need people who are focused.

(Nathan) I heard Thorna say she was going to vote for Kane. Well, Kane is a very nice person, and it would break Sara's heart if he were to leave. I don't know who else to vote for... maybe that weird silent kid, Toady. It's nothing personal, Toady!

******End Results: 2 votes for Thorna, 2 votes for Kane, 3 votes for Toady**

******Perilous Platypuses: Mark, Sara, Nathan, Thorna, Kane, Axel**

******Notorious Narwhals: Ifrena, Gordon, Dalia, Cookie, Liannea, Drew**

******Author's Note:**I'm so happy I could get this started! I've been meaning to post this for a few months now, but I wanted to be sure that everything was near-perfect.

Just to let you know, update dates will vary, however I will desperately try to not make the wait too long. It may be late if I am having minor writer's block for a chapter or if I want to edit it a bit more. In any case, I'll do the best I can.

So what did you think of the first chapter? Do you like/hate the characters? Is it funny/not-so-funny? If you wanna give your opinion, then by all means, review!

I will set up a pole on my profile for you to select your two favourite characters.


	2. The Royal Revolution

**Author's Note: Wow. I actually finished this sooner than I thought. Cool! Anyway, prepare for another chapter filled with drama and madness... castle madness.**

Chris came into view at the drawbridge that led into the castle. "Last time on Total Drama Castle Madness," he told the camera, "Thirteen teenagers found themselves stuck with me in a giant castle for a month. They were introduced to the many areas of the castle and were then split into teams. Then, they got their first challenge clue, which led them outside to a knight fight! After a heated battle, Ifrena won for her team, the Notorious Narwhals, and the Perilous Platypuses sent home Toady. Twelve contestants still remain, and the drama only increases from here. Find out what happens next on TOTAL! DRAMA! CASTLLLLE MADNESSSS!"

* * *

**Confessional**

(Dalia) Okay. So I've been here for two days and I'd like to talk about a few things. First, I saw that grey-haired girl picking a fight with the lover boy.

**End Confessional**

"Hey, you little punk!"

Kane finished up his conversation with Sara and walked over to Thorna. "What do you want, Strictey?"

"Strictey?" Thorna asked, shocked. "Where did you come up with that?"

"Oh, I didn't," Kane explained. "Mark did. By the way, everyone thinks it suits you perfectly."

Kane casually walked away, leaving Thorna to fume silently.

**Confessional **

(Dalia) There was also Cookie, who was bothering Drew.

**End Confessional**

Cookie snuck up behind Drew as he was observing a cockroach magnified to twice its size. She pushed Drew's head down so he bumped his nose on the magnifying glass, shouting, "IT'S GONNA EAT YOU!"

"OW!" Drew complained. "What was that for?!"

Cookie ignored the question and began to laugh hysterically. "THAT… WAS… HILARIOUS!"

She happily cartwheeled away.

**Confessional **

(Drew) Cookie is so _irritating! _Is it too much to ask for a little bit of personal space and for less pain to be inflicted upon me?

(Cookie) I think everyone likes me and my happy attitude.

**End Confessional **

**Confessional**

**(**Dalia) I guess I can't say that I'm better than them, since I like using fake pessimism and what not. However, unlike the others, I'm actually _sane._

(Thorna) Kane sucked in the last challenge. He better step up his game, 'cause if not he'll be out of here faster than he can say, "What the...?"

**End Confessional **

Most of the Perilous Platypuses and Notorious Narwhals were wide awake. Mark saw Sara and advanced towards her. "Hey, sweetheart," Mark called. "You're looking lovely today."

"DON'T call me sweetheart," Sara threatened. "The only person who calls me sweetheart is Kane, and even then we're just playing around."

"Well why can't I?" Mark protested.

"Because unlike Kane, you're just a weird, flirtatious boy that isn't worth my time."

That was a low blow for Mark.

Sara turned around to exit the bedroom and go to breakfast, however she was greeted by Mark once again. "Sara!" Mark called. He closed the gap between them in three long strides. "Can we talk?"

Sara turned her head and sighed heavily. "I guess so," she shrugged indifferently. "But if you continue to flirt with me, I will end you."

"Yeah… about the flirting," Mark commenced, rubbing his arm sheepishly. "I'm sorry about that. It's just my personality, you know?"

"So why do you want to talk to me?" Sara probed him. "I mean, besides apologizing for flirting."

"Well, I was thinking." Mark paused for a moment to think really hard about how he would word it, and then recommenced. "I was thinking that together, meaning you, Kane and I, we would be a great team of our own."

"Team of our own?" Sara raised an eyebrow. "As in… an alliance?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Mark confirmed. "Together we'd be able to vote off whoever we'd like." Grinning mischievously he added, "Even Thorna."

"Thorna IS a pain," Sara nodded, "But we should let her have one more chance to prove herself," she decreed. "I have a firm belief that people can change."

Mark snorted. "You believe Thorna can change. Wow."

Sara rolled her eyes. "And secondly, I think an alliance would be a great idea. Nice job for diving into the world of secret alliances first out of everyone."

Mark beamed. "Thanks. So, will you tell Kane?"

"The second I'm alone with him, definitely," Sara nodded.

**Confessional **

(Mark) Yes! I have an alliance. Surely I'll get to the finals now!

(Sara) Wouldn't it be cool, heading to the final three with my alliance buddies? That would be so amazing! As long as Mark doesn't flirt with me anymore, I'm fine.

**End Confessional**

Nathan walked over to Axel. "Whatcha doin'?" he asked.

"Mapping the castle as I know it," Axel replied.

"Cool," Nathan said.

"Alright team. Assemble!" Thorna shouted.

The other Platypuses ignored her.

"I said ASSEMBLE you moronic platypuses!" Thorna growled.

"We don't have to listen to you," Kane retorted.

"Look," Thorna held up her hands to avoid making a huge argument. "I just want to know what the challenge is going to be." Turning to face Axel, she shouted, "Axel!"

Axel leaped up in fright.

"What do you think the challenge is going to be?"

Just then the table in the centre of the room disappeared under the floor. When it reappeared a second later, there was an envelope on it.

"It's mine!" Thorna yelled.

"No!" Dalia screamed, but it was too late. Thorna grabbed the envelope, opened it, read the letter and tore it to bits.

Everyone stood in shock.

"Platypuses, follow me!" Thorna ordered. This time, everyone listened.

"After them!" Dalia cried. The Narwhals exited the bedroom, but the Platypuses were nowhere in sight. "This is just perfect!"

"Everyone, step back," Drew told the Narwhals. They all did so. Drew took out his magnifying glass and inspected the ground. "Aha! I see their barely visible, dusty footprints. Follow me, everyone!"

Slowly but surely, Drew led his team onward.

* * *

The Platypuses followed Thorna down a corridor. "Thorna, why'd you rip up the letter?" Axel asked.

"And you said you were a battle strategist," Thorna scoffed.

"Just tell me why," Axel insisted.

"Fine," Thorna rolled her eyes. "I figured that if we were the only team at the destination, we'd win by default."

"That's cruel," Sara told her.

"Life's cruel, sweetheart," Mark grinned.

"This is why you guys should listen to me," Thorna told her team matter-of-factly.

"In your controlling, irritating, loud-mouthed dreams," Kane responded.

"If I wanted, I could have your butt eliminated today," the Strict Chick told Kane matter-of-factly.

"Do tell, why would you do that?" Kane asked innocently.

"Because you're a bratty, punkish little child!" Thorna roared.

"Real mature," Kane commented sarcastically. "Not only that, but that's the same thing you've called me the last time and the last time and the…"

"STOP FIGHITNG!" Sara howled angrily as everyone arrived.

All eyes turned to her.

"You stop being a bossy, mean person," Sara instructed Thorna. She then said to Kane, "And Kane, you should just ignore her. You're better than her."

Everyone laughed. Thorna fumed.

"You girlfriend can be quite the boss," Mark whispered to Kane.

"It's one of the things I love about her," Kane sighed.

* * *

"I can, like, hear their screaming!" Liannea told the other Narwhals. "Right this way, fellas!"

Drew pocketed his magnifying glass and together they all followed the sound of the other team's shouts. "Zat girl is going to pay for ripping up ze note," Ifrena stated firmly.

"It was just strategy. I bet I would've done the same thing," Drew remarked as he ran along.

"I must say, it was very smart of her," Gordon mentioned. "Who knows? If one team is missing, the other might win by default."

"Let's keep that in mind the next time a note appears," Dalia told her team. "We'll beat those Platypuses into the dust!"

They all cheered.

"In fact, they might kill themselves out of misery and anger!" Dalia continued.

"That's going a little too far. Ease up on the dark humour," Gordon advised Dalia.

"Less talking, more running!" Dalia barked.

* * *

The Perilous Platypuses were the first ones to arrive at their destination: the throne room. As they entered, Thorna cheered, "Ha! We're first! Take that, stupid Narwhals!"

"Whatever, Strictey," Dalia said as her team entered.

"Not you guys, too!" Thorna complained. "This nickname better not be used ever again!"

"Whatever you say… Strictey," Drew chuckled. Thorna swiped at him with fingers extended so the sharp nails could scratch at him, but the boy simply ducked. "Missed me," he chanted tauntingly.

Thorna folded her arms in annoyance.

"You, like, really need to take a major chill pill," Liannea told Thorna as she cartwheeled back to Drew.

Imitating Liannea's voice, Thorna replied, "You, like, really need to mind your own business."

"Eh-hem," Chris feigned coughing to grab everyone's attention.

The two teams looked up to spot Chris seated on a large, golden throne, and in his lap was a delicious red lobster. The Platypuses and Narwhals watched in awe as Chris nibbled delicately on each and every bit, until at last it had been completely devoured. "Ahhh," Chris sighed contently. "That... was... delicious."

"Where did you get that?" Kane asked, jaw open.

"Chef made it," Chris answered. "He only makes crappy food for you guys because I tell him to."

"That makes me feel so much better inside," Kane remarked sarcastically.

"Okay, okay," Chris said to calm him down. "Enough chit-chat. Let's talk about your second challenge."

"Uh, Chris?"

"What do you want now, Cookie?"

Cookie held a hand to her stomach. "I don't feel so good…"

It was then that she ran out of the throne room, to the drawbridge and leaned over it to vomit.

"Must've been too much cartwheeling," Dalia snickered.

"Actually, I think it's food pois…" Cookie began when she returned, but just then she had to puke again.

"Medic!" Chris called!

Chef arrived a second later wearing a nurse outfit. The other 11 contestants chuckled when he turned around to go to Cookie and the tightness of the outfit outlined his butt. "WHAT ARE YOU ALL LAUGHING AT, MAGGOTS?!" he demanded, roaring so loudly that Nathan was blown back a couple of feet.

"Nothing, sir!" Mark assured the chef. Chef squinted menacingly but didn't say another word as he went to retrieve Cookie.

"Vill Cookie be alright?" Ifrena questioned Chris.

"Don't worry. She'll be fine," Chris told her. "However, she should take some time to recover. Therefore, the Notorious Narwhals will be down one man for the challenge."

"Are you going to change our food due to it giving her food poisoning?" Gordon demanded.

"Probably not," Chris shrugged. "Anywho, today's challenge involves this." He pointed to a large chest on the ground in front of him.

Liannea went up and opened it. "Medieval costumes?" she asked, confused.

"Yep!" Chris replied happily. "Platypuses, take crowns and capes. Narwhals, you put on either the maid outfits or the regular brown clothing.

The teens did as they were told. In no time at all everyone was dressed up. "So, like, what's the meaning behind all of this?" Liannea inquired. "I mean, don't get me wrong. I, like, look totally sexy in this medieval maid's outfit, but…"

Gordon rolled his eyes.

"The outfits represent who you are for this challenge. Platypuses, you are kings and queens. Narwhals, you are the servants…"

"Are we going to serve the Pee Pees?" Dalia asked, chuckling slightly at her own joke.

"Let me finish!" Chris whined. "As I was saying, the servants are mad at the kings and queens. They haven't been given their pay checks for three months. It's kind of like the situation between me and Chef."

"That's just cruel," Kane remarked.

"The servants are going to revolt! They will try and tag the kings and queens. As for the kings and queens, you have heard of this revolt and are trying to escape the castle. If you get tagged, you're out. If you manage to make it past the drawbridge, you're safe. If every Platypus is defeated, the Narwhals win. If at least one person from the Platypuses crosses the bridge, then _they_ win. Got it?"

The competitors nodded.

"I will show you where everyone will start. Follow me."

* * *

Within 30 minutes the contestants were in their correct places. Both were at the top of the castle, but they were in different sides in completely different rooms. The servants were in a prison-like room with pale brown walls and caged cells everywhere. As for the royalty, they were in a fancy room with comfortable couches and a burning fireplace. "It's nice to be queen," Thorna said as she sat on the couch closest to the door.

"Don't get used to it, 'cause after this challenge is over you'll be back to plain ol' Thorna-In-My-Side," Kane told her.

Thorna gasped, offended. "_Another_ nickname! Urgh! Stop it!"

"No," Kane replied, smiling sweetly.

"I command you to stop it!" Thorna ordered.

"Okay, people!" Chris called through the loudspeakers planted everywhere in the castle. "Prepare for the royal revolution in three… two… one… GO!"

* * *

Cookie had somehow fallen asleep earlier, but she woke up in only forty-five minutes. She arose to blinding light. "What the…?" she wondered aloud.

"You're in the infirmary, dimwit!" Chef barked at the Hyperactive Optimist. "I gave you some antibiotics and other stuff to help you heal."

"Cool," Cookie said. She was very weak at the moment; even lifting her arm required her to gather all the energy she could muster in her body. "Uh, Chef? Can I ask you a favor?"

"Depends on what it is," Chef replied.

"Well, I was wondering… could you make me chocolate chip cookies?"

"NO!" was the response.

"Pretty please?" Cookie pleaded. She made puppy dog eyes. "I'm very sick. They'll help me feel better," she whined.

A few seconds passed before Chef sighed, defeated. "Alright. I'll make a dozen. We'll split them." The cook exited the room, and Cookie squealed in delight at the thought of Chef making her chocolate chip cookies.

* * *

The servants immediately exited their room. "I think we should, like, totally split up," Liannea suggested.

"No way!" Drew argued. "One person won't be able to capture another. It's like one person going after a murderer; they always die!"

"But this isn't a murder mystery," Gordon pointed out. "In this particular scenario splitting up is the better option."

"All in favor of splitting up?" Dalia asked. Everyone but Drew raised their hands.

"We split up, then," Dalia concluded. "How about we meet up in an hour somewhere near the entrance… assuming nobody is violently murdered."

Everyone else frowned at the second half of Dalia's sentence, but they nodded and the search for the royals continued.

* * *

"I think I saw Chris go through that wall once," Axel told the others when they left their room.

"Do you think we can use the secret network to avoid getting captured?" Nathan asked.

"Absolutely," Axel replied confidently. "Perhaps we should do what Chef did last time and knock three times on three different bricks."

"I'll do it," Sara volunteered. Axel felt the wall and located a spot that seemed like it would be hiding a secret entrance to the network. "Try here," he indicated with his finger.

Sara walked up to the wall nervously. She carefully knocked on the first brick, then the second, and then the third…

…Nothing happened…

"Guess you were wrong," Thorna sneered.

Just then, the entire castle began to shake. Sara fell backwards but Kane caught her just in time. Axel and Nathan held on to the wall while Thorna jumped in fright and hung on a chandelier. Mark curled up into a ball on the floor.

Suddenly, the secret entrance appeared in front of them.

"You were saying," Axel told Thorna, who's jaw had dropped.

"Come on, everyone!" Nathan motioned for the others to follow him into the dark hall that stretched for who knew how far.

"If it's okay, Sara and I would like to go the normal way," Kane told them.

"What?! Are you nuts?!" Thorna questioned him. "Do you WANT to get tagged first?"

"You don't know that we'll get tagged first," Kane said in defense.

"Not a chance, brat!" Thorna shook her head. "I say we're going into the damn network to avoid getting caught.

"Let them go, Thorna," Axel placed a hand on her shoulder. "It would be better if we split up. If someone were to find us in there, at least Kane and Sara would still be around to win."

Thorna fumed silently for a moment before sighting. "It's your funeral," she shrugged. The others entered the passageway and the entranceway closed with a loud _thud!_

"What was that?" Someone far away asked themself. Kane and Sara looked at each other for a moment before running away.

* * *

"I could've sworn I heard something," Gordon told himself as he walked along. "Maybe it's just Chris trying to fool with our minds."

So far Gordon hadn't seen a single sign of a king or queen. He was so ashamed, for he was usually excellent at tracking people down. He stopped moving and banged his head on the wall in frustration. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

After a few seconds of this, the wall opened up.

"Jackpot," Gordon grinned. He entered the dark corridor and the wall closed off behind him.

* * *

"Why is it so damn dark in here?" Thorna complained for the umpteenth time.

"Ow! My foot!" Nathan cried.

"Sorry," Axel apologized.

"Quit bumping into me!" Mark barked.

"My bad," Thorna said.

"At the rate we're going the other team will already be at the drawbridge and we'll lose."

This prompted Thorna to run quickly. "Come on! We have to hurry!" She then tripped and began to roll, but before she could hit anything a wall that no one could see before opened up.

Thorna came to a stop and quickly stood up. She wiped away the dust on her shirt and realized that they were in the dining hall.

"Hey! We're on the first floor!" Nathan noticed. "We can just go to the castle entrance from here."

That was when Gordon appeared behind him and tagged him.

"RUN!" Thorna squealed. Axel and Mark followed right behind her as she headed for the exit to the dining hall. They ran out, arms flailing and screaming.

Liannea and Dalia were right outside.

"RUN AGAIN!" Thorna squealed once more. Liannea swiftly ran after them but just as she reached out a hand to touch Mark she tripped. The three Platypuses got away.

"Nice job, Lia-lame-a!" Dalia was infuriated. "You just utterly failed! You're pathetic!"

"I'm so totally sorry," Liannea replied. She then began to cry hysterically.

"Ugh!" Dalia rolled her eyes in disgust. "Let's just find the others and…"

Before she could finish her sentence Gordon and the other Narwhals reached them. "Vhat happened?" Ifrena asked.

"They got away thanks to miss failure over there!" Dalia pointed an accusing finger at Liannea, who was still sobbing.

"Forget about it," Gordon told Dalia. "Right now let's go up and try to find them again."

Gordon, Ifrena and Dalia went up the stairs. Drew leaned down next to Liannea and whispered in her ear, "You're screwed."

He then left her there to be miserable.

* * *

Kane and Sara were holding hands, taking their time as they descended another flight of stairs. "You know it's crazy," Sara began, "but I don't think we've ever told each other our favourite colours"

"You're right!" Kane exclaimed as he realized that it was true. "Mine's dark green."

"Mine's bright pink," Sara told him.

"And now we know," Kane concluded. Sara giggled her familiar, light, happy giggle that Kane knew and loved.

"Was that laughter?" Drew wondered aloud. Kane and Sara could see his shadow down the hall and started to run, but Drew heard them the second they took a step. "They're this way! Follow me!" he told the others that were with him.

Adrenaline kicked in. Kane and Sara ran faster than they ever thought they could, turning another corner just as Drew came into view from the other side. "They're getting away! After them!" Dalia commanded the remainder of her team.

Kane and Sara turned left to find… a dead end. They were trapped, and the footsteps of the enemy became louder and louder, indicating that they were getting closer and closer. "What do we do?" Kane wondered aloud in a panicky tone.

"Start knocking on the bricks like your life depends on it!" Sara responded. That was exactly what they did.

Gordon rounded the corner and spotted the two Platypuses. "Time to get revenge for what you did last time, Sara," he told the girl. To distract Gordon, Sara made an animal-like snarl. The Narwhal stopped approaching her and asked, "What the hell was that?"

"Just a distraction so I could do this." Sara lifted her leg and with all her might kicked Gordon hard in the thigh. He clutched his leg and fell to the ground. "Sorry, but this _is_ a challenge to win five million bucks," Sara told him to explain her violence.

"I know," Gordon squeaked. "But that doesn't take away the immense pain you've inflicted upon me. OW!"

The other Narwhals found Kane and Sara a few seconds later. Dalia grinned evilly. "Time to die, your majesties," she taunted them.

"For once I find one of your jokes funny. Well done," Drew complemented her.

"Let's stop talking and start tagging," Ifrena spoke. The others nodded and proceeded to advance forward, leaving Kane and Sara nothing to do but backstep until they felt the wall behind them.

"Looks like this is the end," Kane sighed in defeat. He closed his eyes as he waited for the inevitable touch of a Narwhal's hand…

He and Sara were then pulled into darkness.

* * *

"So you haven't been paid since World Tour?" Cookie asked Chef as she dug into her fifth chocolate chip cookie. "Mm," she said as she swallowed another bite. "These are really good, by the way."

"Thanks." Chef was very grateful for the complement. "McLean never says a word to me about whether the food is good or not, so I'm always going crazy thinking 'does he like it or not?' It's really aggravating."

"Oh, I know exactly how you feel," Cookie empathized with the chef. "Back at home I once baked a cheesecake for my mother 'cause it was her birthday, and all she did was take one bite and walk away. If she had liked it then I bet she would've finished it all, but she also didn't say anything so I don't know what went wrong!"

"Chris is just a real pain sometimes," Chef said. "I do most of the work on this show. I cook, I clean, I set up the challenges… and no recognition! He constantly torments me by telling me what to do and insults me when I make a tiny mistake. It's nearly unbearable!" He put his head in his hands.

"There, there," Cookie comforted him, reaching out a hand to place on the large man's shoulder. "I think what you should do is march right over to Chris and tell him how you feel. Be completely honest and demand that you be treated with respect and be given the recognition you deserve."

"You… you think that'll work?" Chef asked, a little more hopeful now.

"Absolutely," Cookie nodded.

"Well I guess I could try," the Chef concluded after giving the idea some thought. "Thanks, Cookie. You're actually nice."

"It's what I aim for," Cookie smiled, repeating what Dalia did when she had introduced herself two days earlier. "Now you go straight to Chris and tell him what's bothering you."

"Yeah!" Chef exclaimed. "Chris! Here I come!" He marched out, but before leaving he turned around and gave a military salute to Cookie, who returned the gesture.

"Well, wish me luck," Chef told the girl. He then set off to find Chris.

* * *

"What the…? Unhand me!" Kane shouted, struggling to break free from whoever was holding him.

"Relax, punk. It's me."

Thorna dropped Kane on the ground. He immediately stood up and noted Sara right next to him. "You saved us. Thanks."

"Whatever. Just don't expect it to happen often," Thorna warned him. She smiled, however, at the thanks.

"Let's keep moving," Mark and Axel said in unison. Thorna, Kane and Sara nodded. Together they traversed the complex network of passageways, eventually ending up at a dead end. "Maybe we should do the knocking like last time?" Axel suggested.

Thorna simply went up to the dead-end wall and kicked with all her might, sending the wall (which was actually a shelf full of books) toppling down and revealing a bedroom.

"Or you could just do that," Mark said. "Nice job, sexy."

Thorna rolled her eyes but blushed. "Meh, at least it's not 'Thorna-In-My-Side.'"

"Do you think they heard that noise?" Sara asked Kane, looking worried.

Kane cupped a hand over his ear and listened for the sound of quick footsteps, but there wasn't any. "No, they didn't hear us. They must be in another area of the castle."

"I don't want to walk around anymore, so let's get going to the drawbridge," Thorna said hastily. "And I swear if someone makes us get caught…"

"Yeah, yeah, you'll skin them alive or whatever," Kane finished for her. Thorna shot a threatening look at Kane, which shut him up for now. Mark and Axel went over to the door and opened it. They looked both ways before giving the thumbs-up sign, signifying that it was safe to move out. Kane and Sara went first, followed by Thorna, Axel, and finally Mark.

* * *

Liannea was wandering around by herself when she bumped into Chris. "Whoops! Sorry," she apologized.

"Whatevz," replied the host. "But hey, where's the rest of your team?"

"They left me," Liannea explained. "I, like, tried to catch the other team but I tripped and now everyone blames me for letting them get away."

She once again began to cry, and Chris slowly took a few steps back. He then ran away.

Just then Chef appeared. She noticed Liannea and asked, "Hey, Waterworks! Where's the host?"

Liannea pointed in the direction Chris went. She then sat on the floor and curled up into a ball, rocking back and forth and staring blankly at the ground. Chef raised an eyebrow but didn't bother to ask. He ran off to locate Chris.

* * *

"I can sense them," Drew alerted the Notorious Narwhals.

"Really? How?" Gordon questioned him. He had finally recovered from the blow dealt by Sara earlier and wasn't speaking like a tortured chipmunk anymore.

"I can just sense these kind of things. It's a weird gift I have," the teenage detective shrugged. "Anyway, my 'sense' is telling me that the Perilous Platypuses are close by. Be prepared to strike."

The others nodded and watched as Drew moved forward to peer at the hall to his left. It was empty. He turned his head right and…

"NOW!" Kane shouted. The Platypuses rammed into Drew and sprinted down the corridor to the next flight of stairs.

"After them!" Gordon cried out. "We can't let them get to the drawbridge!"

**Confessional**

(Axel) The confessionals aren't really popular amongst us contestants. I don't really know why. Maybe it's just because we'd all rather keep our thoughts to ourselves for the most part, and only tell what's on our mind when absolutely necessary. Anyway, ignoring that, I'd like to inform you that _I _was the one who came up with the plan to charge and keep running. It was simple, yet effective, and I'm sure it'll take some time for Drew to fully recover from the impact.

**End Confessional**

* * *

Chef had finally caught up to Chris, who was sitting on the throne once again. "Chris! I need to talk to you!"

"Uh uh uh," Chris wagged his finger. "You must _bow _before the king."

"Chris, I'm not in the mood to…"

"Bow," Chris instructed.

Chef rolled his eyes but did as he was told. Kneeling, he continued, "There's something I've gotta talk to you about that's very…"

"Sh!" Chris shushed the cook. "I'm thinking."

"But Chris…"

"No!"

"CHRIS MCLEAN, GODDAMIT, LISTEN!"

Chris' full attention was now on the angry chef.

"I've been working for you, McLean, for three seasons, and I'm currently on the fourth. The first one, you got around to paying me. Second season was the same. THIRD season, you just completely forgot about the person that makes Total Drama dramatic! I want you to know that unless I'm treated with more respect and given the credit I deserve for all my hard labours, I'm gonna quit and you'll have to find some other nasty, unsanitary cook to torture contestants. Got it?!"

Chris was taken aback by Chef's independence. "You want your paycheck now?" he asked nervously.

Chef glared at him.

"I… well…" the host stuttered. "I…"

Chef took a threatening step forward.

"Alright! Fine!" Chris raised his hands in surrender. "I've got tons of cash on me right now." He pulled out the right amount and showed it to the cook, who quickly grabbed it and stuffed it in his apron pocket. "And remember the respect!" Chef added.

Chef walked up to Chris. Their faces were merely inches apart, and Chef's eyeballs seemed like they were about to burst.

"Respect… got it," Chris nodded swiftly. "I... I promise."

"Good," Chef nodded. "'Cause if you forget I'm gonna be out to get ya."

Just then Cookie entered the room with the last cookie in her hand. "Oh, hey Chris! Has Chef given you 'the talk'."

Chris nodded, looking a little scared.

"That's good," Cookie commented, "'Cause I was saving this cookie for you when you finally decided to show some respect to Chef." She tossed the cookie over to Chris, who caught it. He held it in his hands for a second before it broke apart.

"And that's… the way… the cookie… crumbles," Chris sighed miserably. "Damn."

"Don't worry," Chef assured the host. "I'll make some more later."

"Yay!" Cookie cheered. "Oh, and by the way Chef, what did you give me? I was healed in such a short amount of time."

"I don't know," Chef replied. "Just some random pills I found in my cabinets."

"By the way, why did Cookie, um, have a cookie?" Chris inquired to the Chef.

"She begged me to make some. What was I supposed to do?"

Before Chris could give an answer the three people in the throne room heard a lot of shouting coming from outside. They opened the door and one by one their heads poked out from behind it to see what all the commotion was about.

The kings and queens were running away from the servants, who were hot on their tail. Mark and Sara tried to avoid Gordon's touch but failed. They fell back as the others continued their chase. "You can make it!" Mark called to his teammates. "Run, goddamit, run!"

"That's what we're doing!" Axel called back, but he was then tagged by Dalia.

"Looks like it's you and me versus Gordon and Dalia," Kane told Thorna. Thorna nodded and looked straight ahead, where she could see the front of the castle. Once they turned left, they would be heading straight for the drawbridge which would secure their victory.

It was the worst time for Kane to trip.

Dalia easily caught up to Kane and tagged him, but when she tried to run again Kane grabbed her leg and dragged her down. "Let go of me, you creep!"

"Oh, I'm not letting go," Kane proclaimed. "Thorna!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "WIN THIS!"

Thorna was now commanding all the energy in her body to go to her legs. She sprinted down the corridor, Gordon running at a pace just above her's. He was catching up, and Thorna's legs were beginning to ache.

"Come on, legs! Come on!" Thorna pleaded. "Don't fail on me now!"

Gordon was still closing the distance between them at a quick rate.

The turn came, and Thorna could easily see the bridge. She closed her eyes and let her legs carry her straight to it. Gordon wasn't giving up though. He eventually came within a few feet of the Strict Chick.

Gordon reached out his hand, and Thorna took one giant leap. The Narwhal did the same…

It was a close call, but…

"The Perilous Platypuses win!"

Thorna sighed when her legs touched the ground of the drawbridge. Only a split second later did Gordon tag her. "NO!" he shrieked. His head hung low and his fists were clenched. "I can't believe this!"

Cookie bounced up to Gordon. "At least you _almost _made it."

"_Almost _isn't enough," Gordon told her. I was _this _close." He showed Cookie how 'close' he was with his fingers. "I was _this_ close and I lost."

Chris went over to Thorna and congratulated her. Soon all of the Platypuses had arrived and were lifting Thorna in the air, cheering, "Platypuses pown! Platypuses pown!"

"Yes!" Thorna exclaimed happily. "Maybe now they'll stop calling me those nicknames."

"In your dreams, Thorna-In-My-Side," Kane spoke up, but he was smiling.

Thorna frowned at him, but she decided to ignore it for this once.

**Confessional**

(Dalia) That stupid Kane held me back! I bet I could've tagged the Platypus if it wasn't for him! I won't forget this, Lover Boy. You're… going… DOWN!

(Gordon) I just can't believe this! I hope my team isn't too enraged at me losing, and that they see I'm very valuable… they better!

(Liannea) I may have lost them earlier in the game, but at least I didn't screw up as badly as Gordon. Maybe I'll _actually_ live to see another day on Total Drama Castle Madness…

(Cookie) I didn't participate this time, so that's a pretty good reason to vote me out. However, I had _food poisoning _for crying out loud! … Wait a minute. It was thanks to Chef's food that I became sick in the first place! I guess I can't stay mad at him for long, since he's just doing what Chris tells him to. However, I'm still _sort of_ mad.

**End Confessional**

* * *

Liannea was walking by when the other team ran past her and up to the bedroom. The Perilous Platypuses decided to have a sort-of party in their sleeping quarters. Kane and Sara were making out on Kane's bed while Nathan and Axel were busy doing funny dances. Mark went over to Thorna who was standing by herself, smirking as she watched the others. "You wanna dance?"

"What I honestly want is to be team captain and for people to stop calling me names," Thorna admitted, "But dancing will do. Take it away, Prince Charming."

Mark laughed and took Thorna by the hand. They joined in on the groovy dancing.

**Confessional**

(Thorna) I had so much fun after the challenge! We were all dancing and laughing and it was just awesome! Hopefully they'll start listening to me more and give me the respect I deserve.

(Axel) You did well today, Axel. You did well.

(Nathan) Wow. Who would've though Thorna could actually win the challenge? I just gained a little more respect for her.

(Sara) I'm very proud of Kane. He made it quite far in the challenge. Now the only thing left to ponder over is who the other team is going to vote out.

**End Confessional**

The make-out session stopped abruptly as Sara lifted her head. "Wait! I forgot to tell you. Mark asked me and you to be in an alliance with him."

"He did?" Kane asked quizzically. "He spoke to only you."

"Uh-huh," Sara nodded. "I think it'll be good if we joined his alliance. Then, we could vote out whoever we want!"

"You're right," Kane agreed. "Strategy-wise, an alliance would be the perfect way to secure our safety during elimination… tell Mark I agree."

"Yay!" Sara cheered happily. "A secret alliance! It's so cool!"

"Um," Kane said to get Sara's attention. "Can I ask you something? It's _really _important."

"What is it?" Sara queried.

"Well," Kane began. "Do you want to…" He then flashed a wide, white smile. "Do you want to join the funky dancers?"

Sara put a finger to her chin and thought about it for a second. "Why not," she answered. The two laughed as they went over to the other 4 Platypuses and danced along with them.

It was truly a great afternoon.

* * *

"I have five pieces of gum. There are six of you, so that means…"

"We know the rules, McLain," Dalia interrupted Chris mid-sentence. "The others told us what happened."

"Sheesh," Chris complained. "Way to ruin the moment. It's rude, I tell you!"

"Can we just get on with the ceremony?" Gordon asked, eager to get it over with so he could go to bed. It was almost ten o'clock pm.

"Brats," Chris muttered under his breath. "Anyway, the first piece of gum goes to… Dalia."

Dalia walked up to Chris to claim her gum.

"The next person who's safe is… Ifrena."

Ifrena laughed triumphantly as she went up to claim her piece of gum.

"Gordon, you're next."

Grinning, Gordon took his gum.

"Another person that's safe is… Drew."

Drew followed right behind Gordon.

Only the hyperactive optimist and the valley girl were left. Liannea bit down on her nails nervously while Cookie covered her face with her hands, peering through her fingers at the piece of gum Chris was holding.

"The final piece of gum goes to…

-..-

-..-

-..-

-..-

-..-

-..-

-..-

-..-

…Cookie."

"Yay!" Cookie exclaimed, happy to be safe from elimination. Liannea, on the other hand, just sighed sadly and walk over to the entrance.

"Liannea," Chris spoke, "You're time has come."

Liannea nodded and waved goodbye to everyone. She then started to leave but stopped. "Wait a minute! My stuff is, like, still in the bedroom."

"Damn!" Chris exclaimed as he suddenly realized something. "We forgot about Toady's stuff last time!"

Chef sped in with Toady's and Liannea's belongings. He quickly kicked them away and then gestured for Liannea to go. "Good luck finding your things."

Chris chuckled. "That's deliciously cruel, Chef. It really is."

Chef gave a wide smile.

Liannea sighed once more and walked away.

"And thus concludes the second episode of Total Drama Castle Madness," Chris told the camera. "Will Cookie get food poisoning again? Will Drew's magnifying glass be safe with Cookie around? Will everyone stop calling Thorna hilarious nicknames? Find out on the next episode of Total! Drama! Castlllle Madnessss!"

**Confessional ~The Votes~**

(Liannea) I didn't screw up _that _badly! I hate you, Dalia!

(Cookie) Dalia's so cruel! She shouldn't stay.

(Ifrena) Liannea looks like ze veakest member of our team.

(Drew) Liannea's screwed anyway. Might as well vote for her.

(Gordon) I vote for Liannea, seeing as how I don't want the votes to be read out and it's discovered that I voted for someone like Ifrena or something like that. I want to remain as non-threatening as possible, so a vote against someone like them isn't a good idea.

(Dalia) Liannea, you messed up! In fact, I think everyone can agree that it's probably because of you we failed to catch everyone on the other team.

**End Results: 2 votes for Dalia, 4 votes for Liannea**

**Perilous Platypuses: Mark, Sara, Nathan, Thorna, Kane, Axel**

**Notorious Narwhals: Ifrena, Gordon, Dalia, Cookie, Drew**


	3. Quest For The Orbs

**Author's Note: **I have way too much time on my hands.

It was around four o'clock in the morning and Chris happened to be wide awake. He grinned and cackled evilly as he pulled out an mp3 player and maxed out the volume. He pressed the play button and loud music began to play through the ear buds, making the whole castle vibrate. "Wakey, wakey, contestants," Chris laughed.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT INFERNAL NOISE?!" Chef demanded, trying to speak above the music as he entered.

"I'm waking the contestants up in the most irritating way possible," Chris explained, grinning naughtily. He pressed the off button on his device and pocketed it. "You like it?"

"That thing of yours woke me up… AND YOU KNOW I NEED MY BEAUTY SLEEP!" Chef was infuriated. Chris thought he would burst into flames if he got any angrier, so he patted the cook's back. "Yo, Chef, ol' buddy. Why don't you just go back to your quarters and try to sleep again."

"SLEEP AGAIN?" Chef bellowed incredulously. "THANKS TO YOU I PROBABLY WON'T GET ANY SLEEP FOR AT LEAST…"

He then collapsed on the ground, fast asleep.

"Wow. He's good," Chris complemented the snoring Chef. "Ignoring the sleeping beauty over there… or rather, beast… last time on Total Drama Castle Madness the two teams dressed up. The Perilous Platypuses were servants and the Notorious Narwhals were royalty. The royalty had to chase after the servants. There were some serious injuries. Gordon got hit twice... by a girl! Nice one, Sara. Anyway, in the end Thorna won the challenge and the Narwhals voted off Liannea."

Chris tried to think of something else to say. "Um… oh yeah! We forgot Toady and Liannea's stuff in the castle, so Chef kicked it far away for them to find. Good luck guys," he snickered. "Anyway, prepare yourself for another episode of TOTAL! DRAMA! CASTLLLLE MADNESSSS!"

Chris looked down at the snoring Chef, and grumpily dragged him out of view.

* * *

"What the heck was that?" Sara wondered as she sat up. She had fallen asleep with Kane, who was still sleeping peacefully right beside her. How he had slept through that loud sound, Sara had no idea.

Gordon, Mark, Axel and Cookie were also woken up by Chris' mp3. "I swear," Gordon growled, "If he does that again I'll go into the King's quarters and break every possession he has."

"He'd kill you, though," Mark pointed out.

"As if I'm afraid of that sadistic, narcissistic, pathetic excuse for a human being," Gordon snorted.

"You better not say that to his face," Mark advised the Narwhal.

"I'm not stupid, you know," Gordon told him bluntly.

"Wow, that was some dream."

Dalia rubbed her eyes sleepily and swung her legs over the side of her bed. She stretched, yawned, and stood up. "In my dream I was owning everyone in a challenge when this random cloud of smoke appeared that kept playing horrific music!"

"That would be Chris's music invading your mind," Sara explained. "We woke up because of it."

"I hate Chris," Dalia stated monotonously.

"Who doesn't?" Axel asked rhetorically.

Thorna and Cookie were the next ones to wake up. "I'm so excited for today's challenge! I'm going to go all the way!" Cookie proclaimed confidently.

"How do _you _know?" Thorna questioned her. "You might trip or something and lose the challenge. Kind of like what Kane almost did last time."

"You don't have to rain on peoples' parades like Dalia," Cookie complained, offended.

"Hey!" Dalia called from her bed, mocking offense.

"Yeah, and for your information," Sara poked Thorna in the chest, "Kane did amazingly well in the past two challenges. Show some respect."

Thorna narrowed her eyebrows.

**Confessional**

(Thorna) I brought up Kane because I'm angry with him. Remember how I only _just _made it to the drawbridge before Gordon could tag me? If Gordon were to have tagged me a second before, we would've lost! If Kane hadn't been such a klutz and tripped, then he probably would've been able to make it to the bridge before anyone could get within 5 feet of him. Overall it was a very close call, and I want to make sure it doesn't happen again. Kane, you better step up your game, 'cause otherwise… you're gone!

(Cookie) I'm fully healed from the food poisoning! Thank you, medical science! Anyway, Today I vow to make my team more optimistic. Unlike Dalia, I'm going to say motivational things to everyone, and that will get them pumped for the challenge like I am! It's the perfect idea, am I right?

(Sara) Thorna may have won the last challenge, but that doesn't mean anything in my books. She's still as mean as ever. She's never satisfied with the team, even though we've all proven to be pretty good at playing this game. Thorna should open her eyes for once and realize that we all try our hardest in the challenges.

**End Confessional**

Meanwhile, Nathan was trying to wake Kane up. "Uh, Kane, I think it's getting late. You should get up so we can get breakfast and start the challenge."

Noticing Sara on her bed, Nathan called, "Hey, Sara!"

Sara crossed the room and walked up to him. "What's up?"

"Your boyfriend's asleep," Nathan chuckled lightly. "Do you think you could...?"

"Got it," Sara nodded. "I know where he's ticklish. He'll wake up in a second." She casually went over to the front of the bed and poked the bottom of Kane's left foot once.

"HAHAHA!" Kane began to laugh. He jolted up and waved his hands wildly, accidentally hitting Nathan in the eye. "OW!" he exclaimed.

"Oh boy. Sorry!" Kane apologized. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Nathan assured him. He pealed his hand away from his face to show that his eye was swelling up.

"I'll get you some ice from Chef," Sara told him.

* * *

Every contestant had eventually woken up and were all sitting in the dining hall. Nathan held an icepack to his left eye as he poked his food around with his fork. "Should we ask Chef to give us something… well, something that's actually edible?"

"Don't even think about it" Gordon replied, shaking his head" "He might give you a second helping in response."

Nathan sighed and dropped his fork. He didn't have much of an appetite, anyways. Cookie, on the other hand, was stuffing her face with her food. It looked slightly different from the others', but it was barely noticeable.

"How on earzth can you eat zis junk like zat?" Ifrena asked, recoiling in disgust.

"What? It tastes fine to me," Cookie said. She continued to gobble it down.

**Confessional**

(Chef) Okay, so maybe I added a little bit of flavor to Cookie's dish… and perhaps I made it with ingredients that weren't found in the trash bin… but I OWE it to her. She helped me stand up for myself against Chris. Plus, she'd get really mad at me if I didn't return the favor and left her with the sickness-inducing food everyone else was eating.

**End Confessional**

By now most of the contestants (with the exception of Cookie) had dropped their cutlery and had decided to gather into their groups at each end of the table.

The Notorious Narwhals were having a little trouble with Dalia. "I think we can all agree that I was the main reason we were able to coordinate well and take down most of the Platypuses during the last challenge," Dalia went on. "Therefore, I think I should be the captain of the team."

"For the last time, we _don't_ need a captain," Gordon slapped his forehead and sighed exasperatedly. "Why? Why can't you abandon the whole 'team captain' idea?"

"Oh, and I suppose you have another idea for how we'll be able to win challenges?" Dalia demanded sardonically.

"Teamwork!" Gordon shouted angrily. "Working as a team will help us win!"

"And how will we be able to work as a _team _when there's no _captain?" _Dalia asked.

"HAVING A _CAPTAIN_ DEFEATS THE PURPOSE OF BEING A _TEAM_!" Gordon responded so loudly that the Platypuses, who were at the other end of the long table, turned to stare at them.

Gordon took a few deep breaths before attempting to continue the conversation peacefully. "Look, Dalia," Gordon said. "If the team had a leader, then the other members of the team would feel inferior and that they don't truly have a say in what we do because the captain is ordering them around. Working as a team means that we're all equal and we can therefore communicate better than if we had some ruler telling us what to do."

"Wow, Gordon. You're very smart," Cookie complemented him. "You should be team captain."

Gordon stared at her incredulously. "Did… did you not hear a single word I just said? Having a leader is a BAD IDEA!"

"But vith you as our leader, nozing vill go wrong," Ifrena spoke up.

**Confessional**

(Gordon) I don't want to appear like a commander to the team. I know through experience in other types of activities like TDCM that the other members of the team will eventually have had enough of taking orders and revolt. If I lay low and appear to be just an equal member on the team, they'll like me more and won't vote me off. Dalia, however, has another thing coming. She's been fighting for dominance since the first day. Hopefully, she'll be eliminated soon… I'll make sure she is, even if I have to break the rules to do so. After all, since Dalia has begun to jeopardize our chances of winning with her 'I wanna be team captain' shtick, it has become personal…

**End Confessional**

"This fighting is hilarious, wouldn't you agree?" Drew asked Cookie, amused.

"Actually, I think it's making everyone feel sad and angry," Cookie answered, gulping another forkful of her food. "I think I know what to do to fix the situation." She stood up and skipped happily over to the other three Narwhals. "Hey guys! Who else is excited for today's challenge?"

"Vhy vould ve be excited vhen ze challenge vill most likely hurt us?" Ifrena raised an eyebrow, appalled at how this chick could actually LIKE the challenges Chris threw at them.

"But we're getting closer to the five million bucks!" Cookie defended herself. "I can taste the money right now! I'm so pumped!"

"Would you be so kind as to not interrupt us for a little while," Gordon asked sweetly. "We'd like to discuss a few things about the game."

"…Oh," Cookie said sadly. "Well… I guess so… okay." She sulked away.

"So how did 'operation: motivate' go?" Drew cackled.

Cookie stared at him threateningly.

"Never mind."

The Platypuses were having a much better time talking, probably because Thorna had decided to go look for entrances to the Secret Network, which the contestants had started to call the "McLean Maze". Other nicknames included the "Lame Labyrinth", but that was just Dalia and Thorna.

"There's nothing much to talk about, since we don't even know what our next challenge is going to be," Sara spoke up.

"True," Kane nodded in agreement. "Let's see… what can we have a conversation about?"

"Ooh! I know!" Nathan raised his hand. "We can talk about who on the other team is the nicest."

"We all know that Cookie is the nicest," Mark replied. "How about who on the other team is the meanest?"

"That _is_ something to ponder over," Axel said. "Personally, I think it's Dalia. She's always making dark jokes and doesn't care about other people."

"I say it's Gordon," Sara told Axel. "I just have this feeling that he's up to no good whenever I look at him." The Lover Girl leaned sideways to see past Nathan, looking at Gordon with a worried look. "The guy might be trouble."

"I agree. Gordon looks like he's one of the hidden bad guys in this game," Kane agreed with certainty.

"I don't like choosing who's bad," Nathan said, "But I guess… Dalia."

"So it's settled," Kane concluded. "Dalia and Gordon are the bad guys. Should we get them eliminated?"

"Absolutely," Mark nodded swiftly. "One of us should cause trouble and try to get the Notorious Narwhals to vote one of them off. I really want to do it."

"All in favor of Mark trying to get Dalia or Gordon eliminated?" Kane asked his teammates.

Everyone nodded.

"Then it's settled. Throughout the challenge, try everything you can to make the Narwhals hate one of them," Kane told Mark. "First, start with Gordon. He looks like a bigger threat than Dalia."

"I'll start right away," Mark informed him. He went over to the Narwhals. "Hello, everyone," he said, using the smooth, sexy voice he usually used on girls back home.

"Hey, Mark," Cookie greeted him, entranced by the hot young guy.

"I heard a lot of fighting going on here," he began. "So I figured I'd come by to see if I could help solve whatever problem you have."

"Our problem is zat miss raincloud over zhere vants to lead our team," Ifrena explained to the Platypus. "Gordon tried to make her see ze light, but she von't listen."

"I see," Mark rubbed his chin. "But why would you let Dalia's constant talk about being captain get to you like that, Gordon?"

"Hey! You try ignoring it when an irritating person is breaking apart your team," Gordon dared him.

"I'm just saying that by not paying attention to Dalia at all, she can't spread her influence to anyone and won't be as much trouble as she is now that you've let yourself be affected by her."

"I'm standing right here, you know." Dalia crossed her arms.

"How dare you point the finger of accusation at me! Dalia is the only one at fault here!" Gordon glared murderously at Mark.

"I think we should let the other members of your team decide who's at fault here," Mark suggested. "Ifrena, Drew, Cookie. What do you think?"

Drew was busy inspecting a juice stain on the table with his magnifying glass. Ifrena was pretending the forks were darts and was throwing them at the wall. Cookie was in a carefree and dreamy state as she dug into the remainder of her food.

"Well, I've gotta go," Mark said. "C'ya."

**Confessional**

(Gordon) I know what that devious little Platypus is doing. He's trying to make my team turn on me! It appears that Mark needs to be taught a _little lesson_.

**End Confessional**

Thorna came back at the same time that Chef appeared to collect the plates and cutlery. He took the forks out of the wall and shot a disapproving look at Ifrena.

Cookie was STILL eating and raced up to Chef. Her speech came out garbled because her mouth was stuffed. "Ef, gu ar anati."

"What was that?" Chef asked. "You're talking funny."

Cookie swallowed and repeated, "Chef, you are fantastic!"

"Oh… why, thanks. It's good to be appreciated by at least _one _contestant." Chef frowned at the other teens before stacking the dirty plates on a tray and exiting the dining hall.

Chris then entered the room, once again wearing a devious grin on his face. "What excruciatingly painful challenge awaits us now, Chris?" Thorna demanded, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Actually, today's challenge won't be that painful," Chris responded, looking a little sad at the fact that the contestants wouldn't be getting hurt a lot in the challenge. "Today is a simple hunt for treasure."

Cookie sprang up and down excitedly. "Treasure! Yay! Isn't that fun, guys?"

"Yeah, absolutely," Dalia rolled her eyes. "Unless the treasure turns out to be rabid squirrels that kill us slowly and painfully."

"I LOVE squirrels," Cookie squealed in delight.

"Vhat kind of treasure do you mean?" Ifrena inquired.

"Well," Chris said, "The treasure isn't exactly expensive, but it'll certainly win your team the challenge if you find it. Hidden throughout the castle are four blue orbs, roughly the size of my glorious, handsome, angelic face."

"You wish," Thorna snorted.

Chris scowled. "Anyway, each team is required to find two of the four orbs, They can be anywhere, so search thoroughly. Once the two orbs are found, you must race all the way down here to the drawbridge. If the entire team passes with both of them intact, they win. Be careful, though, for they are immensely delicate. The slightest force applied to it could shatter the orb beyond repair."

"When does the challenge start?" Kane asked.

"In ten minutes," Chris replied. "Do whatever you want in that time." Before he exited the dining hall Chris turned around and added, "Oh by the way, at the entrance of every room will be a person, be it Chef, an intern or a cameraman. They will ask you a question that you must answer correctly in order to gain access to the room. Well, good luck!" He left.

**Confessional**

(Mark) I figured that in the ten minutes we have I might as well use the confessional. Now then. what should I do to get Gordon eliminated? Maybe I should ask the Narwhals what they think of Gordon. Then, I'll try make them believe that he's a terrible person to have on the team. His elimination should be inescapable after that. Hmmm… I'll see what I should do later.

(Ifrena) I completely forgot about my job, vhich is spying on ze Platypuses. Better get started!

(Drew) Something wasn't right about the exchange between Gordon and Mark. Perhaps I should consult with the team. Who knows? Maybe this will become a full-fledged investigation that will require my expertise to accomplish!

**End Confessional**

Drew looked at Mark suspiciously. He was conversing with his team, and Drew decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to eavesdrop on their conversation. They remained oblivious as he moved in closer, and then went under the table to remain out of sight. However, he was not alone under there.

"Drew? Vhat are you doing under ze table?" Ifrena asked, surprised to see the sleuth.

"I could ask you the same thing," Drew retorted. "What are _you _doing here?"

"Uh, chello! I'm ze official spy!" Ifrena reminded him. "So far I haven't heard anyzing important, though."

"Oh yeah, you're the spy," Drew remembered. "Well, in that case, I'll just get back to the team. Can you do something for me, though?"

"Sure. Anyzing, teammate," Ifrena nodded eagerly.

"Pay close attention to Mark," Drew told her. "There was something going on with him and Gordon. Anyway, can you do it?"

Ifrena laughed softly. "Ha! You are looking at a master spy. Of course I can do it."

Drew quickly thanked her and crawled under the table to the other side, where he frightened Cookie as he came out. She leaped into Gordon's arms. He frowned at her.

Gordon dropped Cookie when Chris appeared from a hole that formed in the floor. It closed and the host smiled. "Okay, kiddies! It's challenge time!"

"_Don't _call us 'kiddies'," Thorna warned him. "We're practically adults."

"Sixteen doesn't make you an adult," Chris pointed out.

"Well we're still old enough to not be called 'kiddies'!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Chris waved her off absently. "Three… two… one… GO!"

* * *

"We should check the bedroom first," Thorna suggested to the team.

"I don't know…" Nathan and Sara began in unison, but Thorna interrupted them. "I say we go there," she said firmly.

Everyone just shrugged and followed her as she led them back to the bedroom.

"Ifrena, you can let us look for the orbs. In the meantime, go spy on the Perilous Platypuses." Gordon was instructing Ifrena on what to do during the challenge, and he was trying to think of what information she should be on the lookout for. "Try to find out what their weaknesses are. Also, see if there are any alliances. That's all for now."

"I vill do ze best I can, captain," Ifrena saluted him and entered the McLean Maze.

"I'm not captain!" Gordon stomped his foot irritably.

"It's funny when you're mad. You act like a little girl," Dalia teased him.

Gordon gave her a murderous look.

"O-kay then," Dalia said, backing away. In the meantime, Cookie was cartwheeling along, lecturing Drew about how optimism is essential to live a happy life. "…Cause if you don't think that everything will be good then eventually it'll be bad because of you thinking that things will be bad and not good so…"

Drew eventually had enough of this. "Cookie… SHUT UP!" he barked, clenching his fists in anger. "You're not making me optimistic. In fact, you're making me certain that we will _lose. _Zip it for once and let me think! You're so annoying!"

Cookie staggered backwards as if she had been punched in the gut. Her eyes filled with tears. She covered her face with her hands and ran away.

"Drew… even I know that vas excessively mean," Gordon spoke.

"She deserved it," Drew defended himself when everyone crossed their arms and stared at him disapprovingly. "Forget you all! I'm going to use my magnifying glass to see where Chris and Chef walked so we can find the orbs. I know what their footprints look like, you know."

"Normally, I'd be impressed," Gordon began, "But considering the recent events, I'm too disappointed in you to have room for any other emotion."

Drew rolled his eyes and huffed in exasperation.

**Confessional**

(Drew) …I didn't do anything wrong… she deserved it!

**End Confessional**

* * *

"When the other team finds their orb, we should destroy it," Axel told his team.

"Come on, Axel," Nathan pleaded, "Why can't we just not interfere with them and simply look for our own orbs?"

"Because I want to ensure our victory," Axel retorted. "If they find their two orbs first, then they have a really good chance at winning. If we destroy one of them, then we have the upper hand."

"I like the way you think," Thorna complemented Axel, smirking.

"I don't really like this. I'm above playing dirty," Nathan whispered to Sara.

Thorna had heard him and yelled, "We're going to sabotage the other team, and that's final!"

**Confessional**

(Axel) I'm glad that at least SOMEONE respects my brilliant, strategic mind. Thank you, Thorna!

(Nathan) The respect I gained for Thorna in the last challenge… it just completely disappeared. And Axel isn't doing any better, either.

**End Confessional**

* * *

Half of Ifrena's head popped into view at she scanned the hallway in front of her. She could make out a leg disappearing to the right at the end of the corridor. Ifrena silently and swiftly ran over to the corner and peered past it to see the Perilous Platypuses. There was no way she could avoid being spotted, unless…

Ifrena jumped up and began to swing on the multiple chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. They eventually led her to the Platypuses. She was just above them and could hear Mark talking to Sara.

"Have you come up with more ideas for ways to make Gordon look bad?" Sara asked while holding hands with Kane.

"Oh yeah," Mark nodded. "I've got tons more ideas.

_So zey're trying to make Gordon look bad, yah? _Ifrena thought as she realized what they were planning to do. _Vell, I zink he'll like to know about zis._

The Platypuses passed the bathrooms, and Mark told Sara, "I'm gonna do a confessional, okay?"

"Don't be long," Sara said. Mark nodded and entered the bathrooms, with Ifrena waiting on the chandelier near the entrance.

**Confessional**

(Mark) So here's what I'm thinking: I ask Gordon to come with me so we can talk. Once we're at the proper destination, I'll have made sure that the rest of the Notorious Narwhals are about to walk by. Then, I'll shout, "You're helping us? Your enemy? I thought you were loyal to your team!" His teammates will come and hear this. Gordon will try to deny it, but I think the other Narwhals will believe it. Aren't I smart?

**End Confessional**

Mark exited the bathroom, and Ifrena quickly swung away to tell Gordon of her findings.

* * *

"This castle looks pretty old," Dalia voiced her observation to her team as she inspected the crumbling, pale yellow brick walls they walked past. "I wonder how Chris got a hold of it, anyway."

"When you're in the TV industry, you can do a lot of things," Gordon pointed out.

"I bet the chances are pretty high that the wall will fall onto us during the season, smashing open our skulls and killing us."

Drew scowled. "You know what? I think we should just leave you right here so you won't constantly annoy us with your depressing things."

"But then it'll just be you and me!" Gordon complained.

"Well I can't stand her! Therefore, we're leaving," Drew retorted. Gordon stared crossly at the Sleuth, but didn't say anything as he grabbed his wrist and dragged him away from Dalia. They disappeared behind a corner. "Where the hell are you going?!" Dalia cried. "You can't leave me!" She turned the same corner, but Gordon and Drew had vanished.

Dalia stomped her foot in rage. "Fine then! I'll just look for the orbs myself. I don't need a loser team!" She folded her arms and turned around, taking one step and walking into a suit of armour The armour fell apart and the helmet landed on Dalia's head, the weight of it sending her to the ground on her butt. "Ow," she groaned.

* * *

Cookie wandered aimlessly through the castle, holding back tears. "Why did he have to be so mean?" she asked herself. "I was just trying to help the group!"

"Who's there?" A familiar, gruff voice spoke.

Cookie looked ahead to see Chef in black armour He wielded a spear and was guarding a large, golden door with fancy brass handles. "Oh. Hey, hyper girl. What's wrong?"

Cookie sat on the floor and put her face in her hands. She sobbed, "My team thinks I'm annoying. I tried to make them happy and confident, but all they did was tell me to be quiet."

"You know," Chef started, "I know how to get their respect."

Cookie perked up a bit. She raised her head in curiosity. "Really? How?"

"Easy," Chef said. "Just find an orb and they'll see that you're not just some random, annoying chick."

Cookie immediately jumped to her feet. She squealed, "You're right! I can gain my team's respect! Thanks, Cheffy!"

"Don't call me 'Cheffy'," Chef warned her monotonously, but Cookie was too excited to care. She kissed his cheek and ran down the hall…

…She appeared again a few seconds later. "Um… where do I find an orb?"

"You could try this area, for a start," Chef suggested.

Cookie instantly went up to the door, but Chef blocked the way with his spear. "Hold on! You gotta answer a question, first."

Cookie nodded eagerly, anticipating when she could go in and locate the blue orb.

"Okay, so the question is… what is the capital of New Zealand?"

"Easy. My mother has a friend that went to the capital last year," Cookie said. "It's Wellington."

"Correct," Chef nodded. He retracted his spear and opened the large door for the girl to enter. It was a large living room with multiple couches, a big coffee table and a fireplace. "Good luck."

"Thank you!" Cookie replied. She began her search.

* * *

Dalia had been frantically searching for her team, but instead stumbled upon Chef. "Is there an orb in there?" she asked impatiently.

"Maybe," Chef shrugged. "But in order to find out, you've gotta answer a question. If you had been here earlier you could've gotten in 'cause Cookie answered it correctly, but since you're alone you're forced to do the question."

"Fine," Dalia grumbled. "But I don't have all day, so make it snappy before I stab you with that spear!"

"Sheesh," Chef responded. "Take a chill pill. Anyway, what is the capital of New Zealand."

"U…um…" Dalia pondered nervously. "Is it Whitehorse or something?"

"Nope," Chef shook his head. "That's the capital of the Yukon. Move along."

"What?! But I have to find the orb! Let me in!" She pounced onto Chef and started punching his head, but it was protected by the black helmet. "Let go of me, crazy girl!" Chef commanded. He started running around trying to shake Dalia off, but she kept punching. "Argh!" Chef shouted.

"You'll never take me down!" Dalia declared. "Now let me in!"

The fight continued.

* * *

The Platypuses arrived at the bedroom. They turned over mattresses and stomped on the ground to see if there was a tile that hid a secret compartment or something. 5 minutes of this and there was no luck.

"I told you Thorna," Sara said when everyone had grouped together at the table. "Why on earth would Chris hide an orb here? It wouldn't make any sense."

"How would you know?" Thorna spat. "It could've been here, you know."

"Yeah, but it wasn't," Nathan put in. "And now we just wasted five minutes of our time. C'mon, people! Why don't we search the King's quarters or something?"

Everyone seemed to like this idea and followed Mark out of the room. Thorna stood there for a few seconds, arms folded, staring angrily at the door where the others had exited.

**Confessional**

(Thorna) I'm having no success at controlling my team. I'm such a failure… and it's all Kane and Sara's fault! I should get them kicked out of the game, but that'll be hard since everyone likes them. What to do, what to do…

**End Confessional**

* * *

"I still think we shouldn't have abandoned Dalia like that," Gordon told Drew once again.

"It's done. Get over it," Drew said absently as he inspected the ground with his magnifying glass. "Besides, the atmosphere has become less tense with her gone."

"Yeah, but now it's just the two of us. We'd be able to find the orbs more easily if we had more people."

"And so you'd want to be with the pessimistic girl through it all?" Drew snorted.

Before Gordon could answer they turned a corner and spotted Chef running around with Dalia gripping his right leg. "Let…me…IN!" Dalia roared.

"Mystery Guy and Detective!" Chef called. "Help!"

Gordon and Drew looked at each other, nodded, and together they rammed into Chef, forcing him to the ground and thus making Dalia lose her grip. "Ow! I hurt my leg!" Dalia complained.

"What the hell were you doing?" Gordon demanded.

"I'm trying to get into the room, but…"

"She has to answer a question first!" Chef interrupted loudly. "What's the capital of New Zealand?"

"Wellington," Gordon answered.

Chef opened the doors for the three Narwhals. "In you go, then." He watched as Drew and Gordon entered, and then said to Dalia, "You'll regret this, princess."

"Bite me," Dalia replied. She followed her teammates inside.

**Confessional**

(Dalia) It's a good thing Gordon and Drew came along. I had absolutely no idea what the capital of that place was. Besides, beating Chef up was starting to get boring.

(Chef) Looks like it's extra servings of slop for the remainder of the season. You messed with the wrong Chef, missy.

**End Confessional**

* * *

The room was the large living room that the Platypuses started in during the last challenge. Cookie was busy ripping the pillows off of every couch, tossing them everywhere. "Oh. If it isn't' my team that hates my personality," Cookie said disapprovingly when Dalia, Drew and Gordon came in.

"Just a minute!" Gordon said, but once again he couldn't finish his sentence. Ifrena somersaulted into the room. "Gordon, I have to talk to you."

"Wellington," someone outside the room said. Then, all the Perilous Platypuses (plus a sneaky Ifrena) entered the room, as well. "Oh. Looks like they got here first," Sara noticed.

"We haven't found anything yet, so it's anyone's game," Cookie informed them. The Platypuses nodded and began to search in silence.

Axel and Ifrena bumped into each other while going to check one of the many couches in the large room. "Woops! Sorry," Axel apologized. "My bad."

"No, no, it vas my fault." Ifrena insisted.

"Let's say it's both of our faults," Axel said.

"Agreed," the Spy-sassin nodded.

Just then both of them noticed a blue light in the corner of their eye. They looked up to see that on the large crystal chandelier that hung from the ceiling was…

"It's mine!" Ifrena cried out.

"We'll see!" Axel shouted. They both immediately got onto a couch and started to jump. Their jumping brought them higher and higher, closer and closer to the blue orb.

"Fighter versus Fighter," Axel said. "Time to see who's better."

"I couldn't agree more," Ifrena smirked.

"What's going on," Sara asked Kane.

"I have absolutely no clue," Kane responded.

Suddenly, the jumping stopped. Ifrena and Axel ran over to their teams, backing them to opposite ends of the room. Everyone had raised eyebrows.

Axel grabbed a pillow that was lying on the ground and threw it with all his might at Ifrena, but she blocked it with another pillow. "Evervone! Attack!" Ifrena shrieked.

Now everyone understood what was going on… they were in a warzone.

The Platytpuses equipped themselves with pillows and threw them at the Narwhals. Ifrena pulled back a couch and it defended them from the fluffy projectiles. Axel did the same.

"Fire!" Ifrena cried. The Narwhals launched their soft objects at the same time. Each one hit Nathan, who fell backwards onto the ground. "Ow," he groaned. "Pillows actually hurt."

"This entire thing is crazy," Drew spoke up, but was then silenced by a pillow thrown by Thorna. "Eat it, Narwhals!" she laughed heartily.

Ifrena and Axel faced each other. All was quiet…

Then, the two each took a pillow and ran towards each other, waving them around wildly. "Take that, you miscreant!" Ifrena said as she swiped at Axel with her pillow.

"Prepare to feel the wrath of my pillow!" Axel said in response.

"To be quite frank, this is the weirdest war I've ever been in," Mark stated.

"This is the _only_ war I've ever been in," Sara chuckled.

Axel and Ifrena were continuously slapping each other across the face with their pillows. They took turns; first Axel dealt a blow, and then Ifrena would do the same thing. After a minute of this, they fell to the ground exhausted.

"This clearly isn't getting us anywhere," Axel observed.

"What was your first clue?" Dalia called to him.

**Confessional**

(Drew) That was the oddest thing I've ever done in my life… an all-out pillow war? I mean, seriously, what the heck?

(Ifrena) Okay, so perhaps zat battle vas a little unnecessary… but you must admit zat it vas still fun as hell, yah?"

**End Confessional**

Cookie decided to do what the quarreling contestants were doing before and started jumping on a couch. "Weee!" she shouted joyfully. She jumped high enough to reach the chandelier, where she grabbed the blue orb and landed safely on the ground. "Guys! I got it!"

"Nice job, Cookie," Ifrena exclaimed happily. Cookie was delighted to gain the approval of her teammate. Now she just wanted the others to like her, as well.

"She got the orb!" Thorna exclaimed. "After her!"

"No," Axel said firmly. "I know earlier I said we should get it, but they'll defend it like it was their baby. Let's find another orb or two." He then whispered in Thorna's ear. "When they least expect it, you can go and do whatever you want to the orb."

The two Platypuses grinned evilly.

"Come on! Let's go!" Nathan called.

"Yeah, we should continue the search," Mark agreed. "Why not try... the library?"

"Good idea," Kane nodded approvingly. "Onward, Platypuses!"

The Perilous Platypuses exited the room, leaving the Narwhals behind.

"Should we go after them?" Dalia asked her team.

Gordon shook his head. "We should go somewhere else to look. We can't risk fighting over another one, or who knows what might happen?"

Everyone else agreed upon this and soon the Narwhals were out of the large room and quickly making their way through the castle.

**Confessional**

(Gordon) Huh. Despite my attempts at making the team equal, everyone still looks to me for approval, advice, etcetera. ...Maybe this IS good. Now I can manipulate them if I so choose, thus being able to get rid of people I deem unworthy of staying in the game.

**End Confessional**

* * *

Chris had arrived a second after everyone left and with Chef they walked into the destroyed room. "Wow. This game brings out the worst in people, eh?" The host asked.

"It sure does, Chris," Chef nodded. "I bet it made great TV."

"Oh yeah. No doubt about that," Chris nodded. "So... you wanna kill the time while the competitors continue their search?"

"Sure," Chef shrugged. "Whadaya want to do?"

"How about a swordfight?"

Chef grinned widely. Chris wouldn't know what hit him. The cook was going to enjoy this...

* * *

Kane and Sara were a few steps behind the others, chatting away with no awareness of everyone else in front of them. Kane accidentally bumped into Thorna. "Oops! My bad."

"What the hell?" Thorna shouted.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Kane apologized swiftly. "I didn't see where I was going."

"Of course you didn't. You were too busy talking with your girlfriend."

"That's kind of what boyfriends and girlfriends do," Kane pointed out.

"Well, clearly you only care about the small world that is comprised of you and your girlfriend," Thorna retorted. "I doubt you even truly care about the team!"

"I DO care about the team," Kane said defensively. "Just because I like having a conversation with Sara doesn't mean..."

"Okay, people!" Mark interrupted the argument before it could escalate. "Let's not automatically assume that someone doesn't care about the team, 'kay?" Mark put his hand on his forehead in exasperation. "Honestly, why is there so much unnecessary fighting. We should be united."

"I don't know," Thorna said sarcastically, "Why don't you ask the lovebirds?"

"Why, you little b...!" Kane began, enraged.

"Kane! No!" Sara scolded him. "More fighting won't do anything. Just ignore her."

Kane glared viciously at his enemy. He then turned away, arms folded. "I'm going to stay here for a minute to calm down. When I get back with the group I expect someone to be smarter than they were a minute ago."

The Strict Chick flipped the middle finger at him.

"That was very immature," Nathan remarked.

"Shut up!" Thorna snapped. They walked on, leaving Kane and Sara behind.

"Honestly, I just can't believe her!" Kane roared. He punched the wall...

Suddenly, the wall spinned, pushing Kane and Sara into a secret bedroom and then locking in place. Sara banged on the wall, but it was no use. "What on earth just happened?" she asked in disbelief.

"It's another hidden doorway," Kane explained.

"I know," Sara rolled her eyes, "But... that was really unexpected."

"Hey, look at this!" Kane motioned for Sara to join him at the bed. The room was large and the walls were painted gold. The bed was truly grand, fit for a king.

"Is this... is this Chris's bedroom?" Sara asked.

"Look at what I'm pointing at," Kane told her. She did, and suspended above the head of the bed was a gigantic portrait of Chris. He had a crown, cape, sceptre and was holding a fluffy white cat in his arms.

"Yep. This is the King's quarters," Kane confirmed. "Let's find a way to get out."

"Actually," Sara said with a sly grin forming on her face. "How about we cause a little mischief?"

"That's just plain evil," Kane said, "But sure."

Together they walked off to create chaos.

* * *

"Gordon! I must tell you somezing!" Ifrena yelled from the back of the group.

Gordon stopped walking to let Ifrena catch up. "I overheard ze Platypus, Mark, say zat he vill talk to you alone at some point and shout 'You're helping us? Your enemy? I zought you vere loyal to your team!'"

"That's actually a pretty smart plan," Gordon admitted. "Too bad it'll be used against him."

"Vhen should ve do it?" Ifrena questioned him.

"I'll tell you when," Gordon assured her. "We're going to make Mark wish he never plotted anything against me."

Meanwhile, Cookie and Drew were busy arguing.

"You're mean," Cookie started.

"You're annoying," Drew countered.

"You're disrespectful," Cookie replied.

"You're immature," Drew retorted.

"Hey!" Ifrena interjected. "Zip it!"

The two of them looked away from each other. Drew walked on while Cookie slowed her pace down so as to not be near him.

"Babies," Gordon muttered.

* * *

"Shouldn't they have come back by now," Nathan spoke up. He looked very worried.

"I think it was smart of Kane to not come back," Thorna said. "He would've gotten the beating of a

lifetime."

"Honestly, why can't you grow up," Mark complained.

"I have to agree with him," Axel spoke. "You have a controlling, immature and short-tempered personality."

"But Kane is stupid!" Thorna tried to defend herself.

"The only one stupid here is you," Mark corrected her. "I honestly don't know why we didn't boot you off in the first episode."

"I'm essential to the team!" Thorna cried. "I'm probably the best player here."

This was what made Axel, Nathan and Mark stop walking instantly. They turned around. Nathan started to tear up. "I'm a good player, too," he sobbed.

"Give me a break," Thorna rolled her eyes. "There's no need to cry."

"That was low of you, Thorna," Axel scowled.

"Probably the lowest you've ever gotten since you've been here," Mark shook his head disapprovingly.

|"We should leave you and your mean ways behind," Nathan said, tears still trickling down his face.

"Let's go, men," Mark told his teammates. They ran off before Thorna could do anything.

"You... you just... leave me here?" she asked incredulously.

**Confessional**

(Thorna) These people are such idiotic babies! I WISH that they'd show me some respect.

Outside of the confessional, Mark snorted. "Wow, you're such a stuck-up b****".

"Get lost, moron!" Thorna thundered menacingly. Mark did as he was told.

**End Confessional**

* * *

Chris gave up after a minute of swordfighting. "You win! You win!" he shouted before Chef could deal another heavy blow to his chest. "Let's go monitor the game."

The two of them took off their armour and walked over to the TV Chris had brought in. There were multiple boxed areas on the screen showing what everyone was doing. Mark, Axel and Nathan were walking, the Narwhals were doing the same, Thorna was rambling on and on in the confessional and...

"WHAT ARE THEY DOING!" Chris exclaimed.

The TV screen showed Kane and Sara trashing Chris' quarters. The bed was a mess, the water in his private hot tub had a thick layer of ice on its surface, his self-portrait had a black moustache drawn on it, and his large kitchen was ransacked of every item of food there was.

There, in the bedroom with a large sack containing the food, was Kane and Sara.

"Who knew Lover Boy and Lover Girl had it in them?" Chef laughed.

"This must be stopped!" Chris shouted, but before he could do anything the two Platypuses smashed the bed against the wall, revealing the corridor and destroying the bed in the process. They walked away laughing, taking the sack of food with them.

Chris stared at the screen in disbelief.

* * *

The Platypus males (minus Kane) had found the library. They had only found out about it yesterday during the night. Nathan and Mark had to go to the bathroom and stumbled upon the large, book-filled room. "It looked smaller when we first found it," Nathan brought up as they pulled out book after book.

Mark grabbed a Nancy Drew book from the shelf and placed it aside. "There's nothing here," he concluded, inspecting the empty shelf. They placed the books back and met in the centre of the room. "We can't keep going like this," Axel told the others. "Besides, I'm sure Chris wouldn't have made it THAT hard to find, right?"

"I see it!" Nathan exclaimed. It was at the top of a massive shelf of science fiction books. "I'll get it." He casually walked over to the shelf and looked upwards nervously. "Um..."

"Instead of climbing, how about we do this," Axel suggested. He joined Nathan at the bookshelf and kicked it hard. The blue orb rolled forwards and fell into Axel's hand.

"Nice job," Mark praised Axel.

"Thanks. Now let's move. I think it's time we go and get the Narwhals' orb."

"Yeah!" They all cheered.

* * *

"Can you imagine the look on Chris' face when he sees what we did?" Kane asked, chuckling.

"He'll totally freak out!" Sara laughed.

Just then they turned a corner to spot Thorna exiting the bathroom. "Oh, good. It's you. I don't want to talk," she said. Thorna ran away.

"Hey! Wait up!" Sara called to her.

"We should follow her," Kane advised Sara. "The team must remain together."

So off they went to track down Thorna.

* * *

Axel, Nathan and Mark were busy talking about what cars they wanted to get when they were older when they ran into Kane and Sara. "There you are! Where were you?" Mark inquired.

"We got stuck in Chris's quarters," Sara explained. "We trashed the place and stole his food. It's now in the bedroom."

"Nice," Axel approved.

Just then Thorna appeared. "Oh, looky. It's my teammates. How lovely," she said sarcastically.

"Have you learned your lesson?" Nathan asked. "Cause you were very mean."

Thorna didn't respond. She only scowled.

* * *

"I hear them," Drew whispered in Gordon's ear. "What do we do?"

"Leave it to me," Gordon assured the Sleuth. He turned to Ifrena. "I'll go get Mark. Afterwards, you get the rest of the team to walk by. Got it?"

Ifrena nodded solemnly.

Gordon cleared his mind of all other thoughts, focusing solely on retrieving Mark without arousing suspicion. Then, he made his move and turned the corner. "What's up, guys?" he said casually when the Perilous Platypuses spotted him.

"Gordon!" Mark exclaimed. "You're just the guy I wanted to talk to."

"Really?" Gordon asked, successful in feigning surprise. "What a coincidence. Me too! Let's find somewhere private."

The Platypuses exchanged nervous glances as the two boys walked away and turned to face an empty hallway. Suddenly, Ifrena appeared and said, "Could you guys please come. Ve need to discuss some zings."

"What things are you talking about?" Axel asked suspiciously.

"I'll tell you vonce ve get to ze rest of ze Narwhals," Ifrena promised. The Perilous Platypuses shrugged and followed her. They were about to pass the spot Gordon and Mark were at...

"You want to help us? You're enemy? Why would you betray your team like that?"

**Confessional**

(Gordon) I know I worded it differently, but it still had the same glorious impact I was hoping for.

**End Confessional**

The Platypuses and Ifrena appeared. "What's going on?" Sara demanded.

"Mark," Kane said. "Are you trying to help the other team?"

"NO! NO!" Mark started, but he was interrupted by Gordon.

"Liar! You just told me you hate your team and want us to help you get rid of them. Plus, you said that you actually liked us more than your own team."

"It's not true! It's not true! You've got to believe me," Mark pleaded. His teammates, however, had their arms crossed and were looking at him crossly.

Everyone stayed like this for a few more seconds before Thorna decided to find the Notorious Narwhals. She didn't have to look far, for they appeared a second later from around the corner. Before any of them could react, Thorna snatched the blue orb Cookie was holding. "Hey!" she complained, but the Platypus had already ran off. She returned to her team and yelled, "RUN!" They wasted no time in obliging once they saw what Thorna was holding.

"After them!" Dalia cried.

"We can't let them win," Drew bellowed.

"They're gaining on us!" Mark panicked.

"Shut up, traitor!" Sara shouted murderously. "I thought we had an alliance!"

"I..." Mark began.

"ZIP IT AND KEEP RUNNING!" Axel told them.

**Confessional**

(Mark) How on earth did Gordon know what I was going to do so he could use my plan against me? This is terrible! My team now hates me!

(Sara) We had an alliance, for Pete's sake! What the heck, Mark!

**End Confessional**

* * *

The Perilous Platypuses and Notorious Narwhals continued to race down to the drawbridge. Thorna and Axel were holding the blue orbs that would secure their victory.

At last, they made it to the bottom level. "We have to make it to the entrance!" Nathan screamed.

Victory was within reach, and once the orbs passed the drawbridge unharmed the Platypuses would win .

It's too bad Gordon caught up to Thorna.

"You won't best me again, Thorna!" he declared, knocking the orb out of her hand. It fell to the ground and broke apart with a loud crash. Millions of tiny, blue glass fragments scattered everywhere.

Everyone stopped running when they saw Chris and Chef in the front hall. "What's going on, contestants?" he asked.

"Dammit, Gordon!" Thorna shrieked.

"Looks like you can't win," Dalia snickered evilly.

"I'll take that," Cookie said, swiping the Platypuses remaining orb and concealing it under her shirt for protection.

"Hey! Give that back!" Kane demanded.

Cookie shook her head.

"Well," Chris announced, "Since neither team has two blue orbs, you'll have to continue your search."

"We've been doing this challenge for way too long!" Drew complained.

"I'm tired!" Dalia whined.

"Vhat's zis?" Ifrena wondered aloud. She was looking inside the helmet of a suit of armour right beside her. She reached in and grabbed a...

"Cookie! Catch!" she called to her teammate. Cookie caught the blue orb and before the opposing team could stop her she ran to the drawbridge...

"The Notorious Narwhals win!" Chris declared.

"NOOOOOO!" Mark howled, falling to his knees.

"They cheated!" Thorna cried angrily.

"We played the game exactly the way Chris said we could." Dalia stuck her tongue at her.

"Narwhals, you can head back to the bedroom," Chris told them. "As for the Platypuses, stay here for the elimination ceremony. I want to go to bed early, so we're doing it right now."

The Perilous Platypuses all moaned unhappily.

**Confessional**

(Mark) I'm in trouble...

(Thorna) They better not vote for me! I mean, I honestly didn't do anything wrong!

(Axel) Mark, you screwed up badly.

(Nathan) Thorna's cruel! I know she's getting eliminated tonight.

(Sara) We had an alliance!

(Kane) Mark's definitely going home.

**End Confessional**

* * *

"Blah blah blah, gum, blah blah blah, contestants. Let's just get this over with," Chris said. "You all cast your votes and the first person who's safe is... Nathan."

Nathan claimed his piece of gum.

"Axel."

Axel did the same.

"Sara."

Sara walked up and took her gum.

"Kane."

Kane followed right behind Sara.

Thorna and Mark were left. "There is only one piece of gum left," Chris stated. "Both of you are despised by your team. In fact, you guys voted for each other, so there was no one else with a vote against them."

Mark and Thorna looked at Chris nervously.

"The final piece of gum..."

_This is it... _Thorna thought.

"...Goes to..."

_Please don't be me... _Mark prayed.

-..-

-..-

-..-

-..-

-..-

-..-

-..-

-..-

-..-

-..-

Thorna.

Thorna was ecstatic. She jumped up and down happily, relieved to still be in the game. Mark, however, was crying.

"Time to go, man," Chris told the former Platypus.

"I just can't believe this," Mark sobbed. "I thought I'd make it farther than this." He turned to his old teammates. "This was a setup! I was supposed to say it, but Gordon..."

Chef came in, threw Mark's luggage to him and pushed him out, reeling in the drawbridge swiftly.

* * *

"And so, the third day comes to a close. We just witnessed exactly what Gordon is capable of. We saw that Thorna is truly a big ol' meanie. Well, I now have to go and fix my place up, as well as get more food since I have no clue where Kane and Sara are hiding their bag chock-full of the stolen goods. Anyway, stay tuned for the next episode of TOTAL! DRAMA! CASTLLLLE MADNESSSS!"

**Confessional ~The Votes~**

(Mark) How the hell did Gordon figure out about my plan? Maybe someone ELSE is really a traitor? ...I don't know. Anyway, I'll vote for Thorna, not that it'll stop my inevitable elimination.

(Axel) A traitor could spill secrets about our team... I don't think we have any secrets, but I'm still voting for Mark.

(Kane) How could Mark do this to us?

(Nathan) Mark, how could you just betray your team like that?

(Sara) We had an alliance!

(Thorna) Eh. Mark's done for anyway. Might as well vote for him.

**End Results: 1 vote for Thorna, 5 votes for Mark**

**Perilous Platypuses: Sara, Nathan, Thorna, Kane, Axel**

**Notorious Narwhals: Ifrena, Gordon, Dalia, Cookie, Drew**


	4. Freaks Of Nature

Chris yawned as he entered the scene, wearing his blue, pink bunny-patterned pyjamas "Hello, viewers," he greeted the people watching sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "Chef woke me up to get revenge for last time. I'll just do this quickly." Flashbacks showed on the screen while Chris narrated. "Last time on Castle Madness the teens had to look for blue orbs hidden everywhere. There was a lot of tension between teammates. Cookie and Dalia were deemed 'annoying' by Drew and were abandoned, Thorna insulted the guys and was _also _abandoned, and towards the end Gordon took Mark's plan to turn his team against him and used it himself, making the Platypuses hate Mark almost as much as they despised Thorna. And that's saying something. In the end, the innocent Mark was eliminated."

With another tired yawn Chris continued. "Will the Platypuses realize that Gordon's truly an evil person? Will Thorna ever stop being so overconfident and mean? Will I ever find where Kane and Sara hid my precious food supply? Find out right here on Total Drama..." He fell to the floor, sinking into a deep sleep.

Chef then appeared. "Serves him right, the little creep." He then faced the camera. "As our, uh, _lovely _host was saying: Find out right here on TOTAL! DRAMA! CASTLLLLE MADNESSSS! ...I should really do this hosting stuff more often, don't ya think?"

The only response Chef got was a loud snore from the sleeping Chris.

* * *

After the usual breakfast (white, disgusting slop, which no one but Cookie ate completely) the contestants returned to their bedroom. Axel was talking to Nathan, Kane and Sara.

"Look at the heartless beast over there," Axel pointed to Thorna, who was sleeping in her bed. "We should seriously do something about her."

"She would've been voted off, had we not found out that Mark was a traitor," Sara said.

"Yeah. He said he'd take us to the final three," Kane sighed. "Guess he was just planning on getting rid of us."

"Yeah, and besides, we'll get rid of Thorna next time," Nathan spoke.

"I don't usually say this, but we've got to lose today's challenge," Axel told his team. "We might have one less person, but considering the fact that it's Thorna, I think this will only _increase _our chances of winning."

"I second that," Sara agreed.

"Third," Kane grinned.

"Uh...," Nathan commenced nervously.

"What's going on?" Thorna asked. She had woken up a few seconds ago and walked up to her team. "You're talking about strategy without me?"

"No," Axel shook his head. "We were talking about how we hate Chef's food."

"Speaking of which," Sara smiled naughtily. She went over to her bed and reached underneath it, pulling out a large sack. "Kane and I stole food from Chris' quarters, remember?" She looked inside the bag. "I could swear there was more bread in here, though."

"Hey, why is Cookie unconscious on the floor over there?" Kane asked.

**Earlier...**

Drew was the first person awake. Knowing that he wouldn't get another chance like this, he slipped silently out of bed and crossed over to the girls side. Making sure Sara was fast asleep, the Sleuth reached underneath her bed. His hand entered the sack and pulled out some bread. Drew smiled victoriously.

"What are you doing?" a familiar voice inquired.

Drew looked up to see Cookie hovering over him, her eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Go away, Cookie," Drew commanded firmly.

"OOOH!" she gasped, suddenly realizing what's going on. "I can't believe you're stealing...!"

Before Cookie could finish Drew had knocked her upside the head with the bread. She miraculously fell to the floor, her consciousness gone in an instant. "Who knew bread could be so powerful?" Drew said aloud. He dragged Cookie over to her bed and left her there.

**Back to the present...**

"Let me at it!" Thorna exclaimed, salivating as she inspected the large bag containing actual food and not Chef's barf. However, Kane pushed her back. "As if _you're _going to get any."

"But there's so much," Thorna pointed out, folding her arms.

"Well we don't share our food with people like you, got it?" Sara said. She motioned for Axel and Nathan to come over and the four started dining on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Thorna stared at them longingly.

**Confessional**

(Thorna) I can't believe them! I should be allowed to have some of their food! So what if I said that I was probably a better player than the others. That's no reason to get mad, right? It's not like I repeated it over and over again... then again, I did piss everyone off on other occasions...

(Kane) It's shocking how someone can have the audacity to ask for our food when they've been a pain in our butts since the first day. I think I'll go back to calling her "Thorna-In-My-Side". It suits her, don't you think?

(Nathan) I don't want to lose the challenge, even if it _is _to eliminate Thorna. I believe that you should always do your best during these challenges, no matter what. So even though the rest of the team will try to lose today, _I'm_ going play well.

**End Confessional**

"Can I have as sandwich, too?" Gordon queried, walking up to the Platypuses who were munching on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

"Uh..." Axel contemplated it for a long moment.

"Sure," Kane nodded. "After all, you discouraged Mark's bad behaviour You must be nice."

"Yes, I am nice, aren't I?" he whispered to himself as he was given a sandwich.

**Confessional**

(Gordon)I'm actually on their good side! Originally I thought that the elimination of Mark would be the only good thing to happen, but now that the Platypuses more or less trust me I can ensure that the rest are booted off one by one. Plus, I'll get more food from them. This game is mine

(Kane) I know that at first we thought that Gordon was mean, but I guess we only assumed this because he seemed rather mysterious. However, I think he's trustworthy now.

**End Confessional**

"What's he doing over there?" Dalia wondered as she observed Gordon interacting with the other team. "I can't see anything, but I don't like how Gordon's talking to them. He could be planning something against his own team, just like Mark did."

That was when one of the Platypuses moved aside to reveal the food they were consuming.

"Holy crap!" Dalia exclaimed in shock, shooting straight to her feet. "They have actual food!"

Before anyone could do anything, Chris entered the room. "Where's Kane and Sara,' he demanded impatiently.

The Platypuses quickly shoved the food sack under Sara's bed. Then, the couple sauntered over to Chris. "'Sup, McLean?" Kane said innocently.

"Don't ''Sup, McLean,' me," Chris warned him. "I want to know where my food is."

"What food?" Sara asked innocently.

Nathan, Gordon and Axel quickly hid the remainder of their sandwiches behind their backs and swallowed what was in their mouths before Chris could notice.

"Don't play games with me," Chris said. "I saw what you guys did on camera. Did you know that I had to spend five hours cleaning up what I could, and then I had to call Chef to repair the broken wall? Not only that, but my toilet doesn't work anymore!"

"Vhat on _earzth_ did you guys do?" Ifrena questioned them, snickering.

Chris pushed past Kane and Sara, going over to Sara's bed and scanning the ground. "What do we have here?" he wondered aloud, noticing a part of the sack sticking out, He pulled it out and checked the contents. Kane and Sara just stood there and tried to not look too guilty.

Chris returned to them. "Because of what you did, I'm going to make you guys miss the challenge. Instead of competing today, you're going to help Chef with odd jobs around the castle. Understood?"

"Yes, Chris," the two nodded sadly.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I must go help prepare the challenge." Chris sighed. "Ever since the second challenge day Chef has wanted me to aid him with his tasks. Apparently it's extra punishment for not remembering to give him his paycheck."

"You're a terrible person," Kane told him.

"Who's the food stealer here, huh?" Chris asked rhetorically. The last thing he said before leaving was, "I'll be sending another envelope on the table to tell you where the challenge area is located."

And with that he was gone.

"Even though what you guys did was seriously awesome," Thorna began frustratedly, "You still screwed up. Now we have two less people to participate in the challenge!"

"Huh, and I thought you _wanted_ the food earlier," Kane retorted mockingly.

They walked away, leaving Thorna to cross her arms and scowl at them.

Cookie had woken up a second later and began to talk to Ifrena nonstop. In order to make the excessively hyper chick stop, Ifrena slapped her. "Can I tell you a secret?" Ifrena whispered to her.

Cookie nodded quickly, unfazed by the slap.

Ifrena leaned forward. Her voice was just barely audible. "I almost ended somevone's life vonce."

Cookie's eyes widened with shock, and then confusion. "So you've never actually done it before."

Ifrena shook her head. "Ze major detective agencies in ze vorld vould be out to get me. Anyvay, it vas basically some rich guy zat vas an enemy to my dad, so he told me to get him. I almost did it, but zen ze guy's security came and I had to flee, but not before zey took a picture of me so zey'd recognize me in the future."

"Wow," Cookie stated.

"Yes, it's very shocking," Ifrena agreed. "At any moment ze guy might see me on zis show and recognize me. Zen I'd have to go on ze run."

"Freak," Dalia insulted the spy-ssassin. She had been eavesdropping with Drew. "You're completely insane and will most likely go to prison because you're too weird to be socially acceptable."

"Agreed, though I would've worded it differently," Drew nodded. "You're dangerous, Ifrena."

"Oh, I can be more than just plain _dangerous, _my friends," Ifrena confessed darkly. Before she could give a demonstration that would certainly terrify the other contestants, the table disappeared under the floor. A second later it reappeared with another white envelope.

Dalia smiled wickedly.

**Confessional**

(Dalia) Last time Thorna got to the note first and ripped it up. Well, now it's my turn.

**End Confessional**

With a giant leap from her bed Dalia landed on the table. It wobbled violently but soon stopped, letting Dalia grab the envelope. She tore it open and read the clue:

_Really orange organs frequently topple over people._

_...Uh... _Dalia stood there, thinking. _What the hell does that mean?_

Before she could rip the letter to shreds Nathan got it. He read the clue out loud. "Really orange organs frequently topple over people..."

Everyone looked at each other, confused expressions on each of their faces.

Axel brought his team together. "Um... perhaps it's somewhere that stuff can fall to the ground. My only guess is that it's the place where we did the knight fight. Let's go there, unless someone has a better idea?"

No one spoke up, so they all followed Axel.

Meanwhile, the Narwhals were standing motionless, pondering over what the clue meant.

Gordon's mind was working at full speed. _Really orange organs frequently topple over people. Really. Orange. Organs. Frequently. Topple. Over. People._

"ROOFTOP!" he exclaimed wildly, extending his arms and hitting Dalia in the face. "Ow!" she yelled in pain.

"Sorry," Gordon apologized absently. "The first letters of each word combined spells 'rooftop'!"

Everyone's eyes widened in realization. Then, swiftly, they began to run, however Gordon tripped. "Ow, that hurt!" He pulled up his pants leg to reveal a right knee dotted with blood. "It stings!"

"Suck it up. We've got to keep moving." Dalia said.

However, the other Notorious Narwhals stayed behind to help their comrade. "He can't run. We're going to carry him," Cookie informed her.

"Fine," Dalia grumbled. She watched as Ifrena, Cookie and Drew hoisted their teammate up and recommenced their running. Dalia soon followed.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Kane asked Axel as he observed the desolate area.

"Uh, now I'm not so sure," Axel admitted.

"Hey! What are you doing down there!" someone called from above. The Platypuses looked up to see Chris standing over the edge. "The Notorious Narwhals made it here already."

"Great!" Thorna complained. "Now we have to go all the way back up."

"There's no need for that!" Chris called again. "I've got a trampoline! Just bounce up!" He flung a trampoline to the Platypuses and it landed with a loud _thump!_ One by one, they all bounced up to the roof.

"Wow," Chris grinned. "You guys interpreted that clue WAY wrong."

"Don't remind us," Thorna rolled her eyes.

Chris' grin only widened. He went to stand in between the Notorious Narwhals and Perilous Platypuses. "Before we start the challenge, let's see... Gordon can't participate because he injured his leg."

Gordon waved to everyone from his seat at the edge of the roof, a bandage on his leg.

"And Kane and Sara are going to go with Chef to do some things."

At the mention of this, Chef appeared from the stairs leading up to the roof. He wore a grey shirt and grey pants, and carried a toolbox with him. He also had a belt that held multiple tools. "Lover Boy and Lover Girl! Follow me!" he commanded loudly. Kane and Sara did as they were told, leaving Thorna, Axel and Nathan as the only Platypuses left.

"Now then, onto the challenge..." Chris started, but was interrupted by a bombardment of questions from the participants.

"Why are we up here?"

"What's with those things over there?"

"What's the challenge going to be?"

"LET ME SPEAK, YOU IMPATIENT TEENAGERS!" Chris bellowed, extremely annoyed. The teens immediately silenced themselves. "Honestly! You know that I'm going to explain the challenge, and yet you keep asking questions. Let me speak, goddammit!" he whined. "..Now... are you all prepared to listen?"

Everyone silently nodded, too scared to think of what Chris would do if they spoke.

"Right over there are multiple, giant, heavy plant pots." The host pointed, and everyone else looked. "Each one of you has been assigned 5 of them to bring into the castle. Look for spots on the ground with a red 'X' on them. Place your pots on them. The first person to return up here with all their plants placed wins for their team."

"Hey, Chris," Axel raised his hand.

Chris gave him an impatient look that signaled for him to speak.

"Our team has 5 rows of five plant pots, but Kane and Sara aren't participating."

"Yah," Ifrena crossed her arms in curiosity. "Gordon's isn't doing ze challenge, yet he has a row of pots, too. Vhy is zat?" she interrogated the host.

Chris laughed maniacally. "Oh yeah. You guys are going to have to carry _their _plants as well!" The maniacal laughter escalated to 'hysterical laughter', and the contestants just gave him strange looks.

Composing himself, Chris said, "If your teammates weren't such delinquents, then they'd be able to carry their share."

"But Gordon didn't do anything delinquentish. He just tripped," Drew corrected the host.

"Well... he should learn how to not trip while running, then," Chris shrugged, impatient. "Now then. Three... two... one... go!"

* * *

"The first thing we gotta do is fix the plumbing," Chef explained to Kane and Sara. "Apparently you flushed one of Chris' Gemmy awards down the toilet, so now we gotta go to the proper pipe and get it out."

While Chef's back was turned, Kane and Sara chuckled deviously. "It was SO worth it, though," Kane whispered to her.

Sara giggled and nodded.

"SHUT UP!" Chef ordered ferociously. He tapped on three different bricks three times and an opening to the McLean Maze appeared. They followed Chef through countless pitch-black corridors until they reached a room full of rusty machines and pipes. "Girly!"

"Yes, sir," Sara saluted the cook as she stepped forward.

"Go to that big pipe over there and hit it lightly with your fist, just to check."

Sara casually walked over to the pipe and gave it a weak tap...

A gigantic, rapid burst of water came out of a crack and forced Sara to the wall. It continued like this for a few seconds before Chef did some tinkering with the pipe and the flow of water ceased. Sara fell to the ground, barfing up water and breathing rapidly. "I'm soaked," she stated monotonously before letting her head fall to the ground.

"This is going to be a long day," Kane muttered.

* * *

"Out of my way!" Dalia commanded, ramming into Thorna and passing her with a plant pot in her hands. Thorna's pot flew up in the air, but she managed to stop it from breaking by falling onto her back and letting it fall onto her stomach. "That hurt... but at least it's safe," she squeaked, trying to hide the fact that she was in immense pain.

"Come on!" Nathan called to her, running quickly despite the weight of the pot. "We've got to win this!"

"What?" Axel asked as he caught up to Nathan, brushing aside plant leaves that got into his eyes. "We're supposed to lose, remember?"

Nathan just shrugged and continued running.

**Confessional**

(Axel) What's he doing? We're supposed to be losing the challenge this time! Nathan, you should listen to me!

(Thorna) Nathan's right; I have to win this for the team! If we lose, then I know who's butt is going to be the next one gone.

**End Confessional**

* * *

Ifrena and Cookie were carrying their pots with surprising ease. Dalia and Drew were ahead of them and were lookig for the red 'Xs'. "With my superior ability to spot stuff, I should find one in no time," Drew proclaimed.

"That's great. Just look for the 'Xs'," Dalia told her teammate. As the two Narwhals ran, they past a sign saying 'X is that way'. "Ha-ha! I can't believe Chris made this challenge so easy! He must have something wrong with his brain if he's actually HELPING us win the challenge."

It was then that Dalia turned a corner and fell into a pit.

"Are you alright?" Drew called down to Dalia, who had landed on her butt.

"My rear end hurts like hell, but other than that I'm fine," Dalia responded. "Now get me the hell out of here!"

"I would," Drew considered it for a second, "But I think I should continue the challenge. I've gotta win for the team."

"WHAT?!" she demanded incredulously. "You can't do this!"

But Drew had already left.

Dalia sighed and put her head in her hands. She glanced at the plant pot that was still intact. "So how's life?" she asked it.

* * *

Cookie was once again going on and on about optimism.

"As you can see I am very happy and I have faith that life is good because if I didn't believe that life is good then I wouldn't be happy and everyone wants to be happy..."

"You're very irritating, Cookie," Ifrena said bluntly. "Please just put a sock in it. Is zat too much to ask?"

"But I'm trying to help you guys!" she defended herself. "So far none of you are optimistic, and that's bad!"

"I'm sure ve can manage just fine without ze amount of optimism you have, zank you," Ifrena assured her. "Just let us find our own optimism in our own time."

"...OKAY!" Cookie said cheerfully. She hurried along.

**Confessional**

(Cookie) I guess that's a satisfactory answer. But still, my team needs hope that the future will be bright and cheerful! Like, for example, I am bright and cheerful. Example: HEHEHEHEHE! ...Too girly?

**End Confessional**

* * *

"So what do you do in your spare time?" Gordon questioned Chris as they watched the other competitors take more of their plants into the castle.

"To be honest, not much," Chris revealed. "I watch TV, make some coffee, check out what's being viewed on the security cameras..."

"Oh, right, the security cameras that watch us," Gordon remembered. _Mental note: have some fun with the cameras at a later date._

"But yeah," Chris concluded," That's pretty much what I do. You?"

"I sometimes read a book, take a nap, whatever. At times I daydream about how when I get back home I'm going to go get the biggest, most expensive sushi dinner I can."

"Good call," Chris agreed. "Speaking of good-tasting seafood, have you ever had lobster with..." The talk about seafood continued.

* * *

"I see an X!" Nathan exclaimed. "I'll put my pot there and get another."

"But Nathan," Axel argued, "I thought we were going to lose the challenge!"

"Sorry, but that;s not how I play," Nathan informed the Battle Strategist. He placed his pot on the designated area and hurried back to the roof.

"I'm going to have to teach him a thing or two about strategy," Axel whispered to himself. However, he found an X and decided to put his plant pot on it anyway. _I doubt it would be acceptable to break them, so instead I'll just do the challenge slowly._

He turned around to run but suddenly stopped. "What the...?" Axel started to speak, but was interrupted by a golf ball smacking him in the forehead. Axel stumbled backwards before regaining balance. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked, rubbing his forehead.

Standing before Axel were the three interns that had been fired on the first day.

"We're sabotaging the game to get revenge on Chris," one of the interns answered.

The other two nodded in confirmation before resuming the assault. Golf balls were flung from their hands and kept hitting Axel. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" he exclaimed. "Stop it!"

* * *

Cookie and Ifrena passed by Drew. His plant lay abandoned a foot away from him and he clutched his foot. "I dropped the damn thing on my toe!"

"I see two of the areas we can put the plants on!" Cookie cried She joyfully pranced over to one 'X' with her pot and gracefully set it down. "Let's do this!" she said happily, cartwheeling away.

* * *

The next odd job Kane and Sara had to do awaited them in another room hidden in the Lame Labyrinth (yes, they had now taken on the name Dalia and Thorna used; it was steadily becoming popular). Once they entered, the two Platypuses gasped in fright.

There was a giant shark tank in the centre of the room. On the left wall was a rope suspended in the air, and on it was a vast array of meats.

"Alright, move along," Chef herded them into the room. "It's time to feed Jawlie and Sharpay."

"_Jaw-_lie?" Sara gulped.

"_Sharp-_ay?" Kane quivered.

Chef grinned. "These are two of the meanest sharks out there. Chris got them from some guy that caught them illegally in some place."

"I can't believe you people," Kane said in disbelief.

"That's wrong!" Sara pointed out.

"You know what else is wrong?" Chef asked. "Trashing someone's home! Now get feeding!"

"N-n-nice sharkie," Sara stammered as she retrieved a large leg of meat and climbed a ladder next to the tank to keep it dangling above the sharks. The one named Sharpay swam towards her and its head exited the tank, eating both meat and bone.

"We're going to die, aren't we?" Kane asked while he stared blankly at the sharks, terrified. They seemed to grin maliciously at him.

* * *

As the participants continued to retrieve their plant pots and run around with them, their arms and legs began to tire. Ifrena and Drew now walked with their pots, and even the usually energy-filled Cookie reduced her pace considerably. In fact, pretty much everyone had stopped running... except for Nathan.

_Must...win...today's...challenge, _he thought to himself. He still had enough energy left to complete his set of plants. However, there was still the matter of placing both Kane and Sara's, as well. _Guess I'll just have to push myself even harder, _Nathan concluded.

* * *

"Favourite book?' Gordon asked McLean.

"Uh, my autobiography... duh!" Chris answered as if it was completely obvious. "You?"

"I don't have a favourite," Gordon confessed. "Most books that I read I like. I'm especially into science fiction."

"Eh. That's nice, I guess," Chris shrugged.

Thorna and Ifrena came back to the rooftop once again, but instead of directly going to get their plants they joined Gordon, collapsing right next to him. "Can't... continue," Thorna wheezed.

"Vhat... she said," Ifrena agreed.

"Oh really?" Chris asked, an evil smile spreading across his face. "Well, I think I can convince you otherwise." He pulled out a remote control from his pants pocket and pressed a large red button on it. Suddenly, the ground began to shake.

"What the...?!" Thorna wondered, beginning to panic.

It was then that a large, mutant venus fly-trap burst out of the ground below and jumped onto the castle roof.

Gordon, Thorna and Ifrena stared incredulously at it.

The large plant beast gave a mighty roar and started to stomp towards Thorna and Ifrena.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Ifrena and Thorna cried at the top of their lungs. They instantly grabbed another of their pots and hurried inside.

"Larry! Sit!" Chris called to the gigantic monster.

It did as it was told, much to Gordon's shock. "WHAT IS THAT THING?!" he demanded.

"Oh, it's just my pet flytrap, Larry," Chris explained. "While the government was cleaning up Camp Wawanakwa they stumbled upon him. I had forgotten Larry there and the toxic waste mutated him into the gorgeous creature that sits before you." The host went up to Larry and scratched it's underside, which it liked. "The government guys put him in a cage and sent him to me so he'd be my problem and not theirs. Do you like him?"

Larry secreted a green goop from pores in his head and it splashed all over Gordon. He blinked in shock. "He's... great," Gordon replied to Chris' question through clenched teeth, trying to hold back a terrified scream.

Cookie, Drew and Nathan were the next ones to arrive. They took one terrified look at the venus fly-trap, screamed, took their pots and made a hasty exit.

"Who's a good boy?" Chris cooed as he continued scratching Larry's belly. "You are! You are!"

* * *

Axel dodged behind a pillar as the ex-interns attempted to follow him. "Where'd he go," the only female of the trio spoke.

"I think he went this way," the male from before replied, pointing in the exact opposite direction that Axel went. They left, leaving Axel to safely make his way back to the rooftop. He happened to pass by the pit that Dalia had fallen into earlier, but he didn't notice her. Dalia, meanwhile, lay on her stomach, drawing into the odd sand-covered floor of the pit she had fallen into. She was doodling the 8 other contestants being scorched by a fire-breathing dragon, and on that dragon was Dalia.

"Ah, if only it were real," Dalia sighed longingly. "Perhaps if I somehow get out of here..."

* * *

Kane and Sara finished feeding the hungry sharks and Chef led them outside to the back of the castle. There was a giant hole in the ground. "What happened?" Sara queried.

All three of them looked up to see Larry looking over the edge, smiling and showing his large, pointy teeth.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" They all screamed as they ran back inside.

"I told Chris not to keep him!" Chef yelled as he ran. "But did he listen? NO!"

On the top floor of the castle, the participating teens were feeling the same way the others were feeling. "What the hell was that thing?!" Drew exclaimed when they had reentered the castle.

"I don't want to find out," Axel responded swiftly. "Let's move!"

The other contestants nodded and did as they were told. However, they soon found Thorna and Ifrena sitting on a couch in a room, shivering from fright. "It... vas... so... big," Ifrena stated without emotion.

Just then, the three fired interns arrived and continued what they were doing to Axel. "Ow! Ow! Quit it!" he yelled as he was bombarded with more golf balls. "And why me?" he added.

* * *

Chris had ordered an intern to bring him a television so he could watch what transpired in the competition. "Why are the fired interns here?" he demanded crossly. He pulled a walkie-talkie out of his pants pocket. "Chef!" he said. "I want you to take care of those idiot people we fired on the first day. They're ruining my show!"

Gordon rolled his eyes. "Will you ever become a nice person?"

"Why be nice when you can boss people around and enjoy it when people get hurt?" Chris retorted. "For instance..." Chris stood up and pushed the intern over the side of the roof.

Gordon sighed in defeat.

* * *

"It has been a little more than an hour since I fell into this hell hole," Dalia told herself. "I have no food, no way of communication and my only comrade is a plant." She held her knees to her chest and rocked back and forth. "I'm not going to make it," she told the plant, "but I want you to know... that you've been a really good friend."

The plant just stood there inanimately.

* * *

Chef had received the call from Chris. "Okay, you two," he said.

Their attention was now focused on the cook.

"It's time to suit up, 'cause we're about to go into battle." Chef went over to a door and opened it. It was a humongous closet filled with baseball bats and pillows.

"_This_ is what we're going to use in battle?" Sara demanded, staring at the odd array of items.

"War is a nasty thing, kid," Chef stated. "We need to have all the courage we've got, 'cause once you go in you're on your own." He tossed Kane and Sara each a baseball bat and a pillow. "Good luck, soldiers!" he saluted them. "You either win the fight, or you die trying."

Kane and Sara looked at each other and gulped.

"Now let's move!" Chef cried. The two Platypuses did everything they could to keep up with Chef's quick pace.

**Confessional**

(Sara) So far this day has been pretty crudy. I got soaked and nearly attacked by a shark, for a start. Also, when the camera wasn't filming I was launched into the air by a springy platform, nearly crushed to death by some random piano hanging from the ceiling, and got injected with a serum that makes you dance uncontrollably... I did the funky chicken for fifteen minutes straight!

**End Confessional**

The three of them passed through the throne room and went up several flights of stairs, eventually making it to Chris' quarters. The door had closed just as they got there, and all three knew that it wasn't Chris. Chef creeped up to the door and put his ear against it. After a second of silence, he informed the teens that it was all clear. They entered through the door and found themselves in the kitchen.

"They're probably in the bedroom, so I want you guys to..." Chef was interrupted by a fridge door closing shut. He turned around to spot Kane trying to hide a loaf of bread inside his shirt.

Chef grabbed the bread and threw it away. "I want you and your girlfriend to attack the two guys. I'll go after the female. And be careful," Chef warned them. "They're armed with the best golf ball guns of their time."

"You're making it seem like we're in an actual war," Kane noticed.

"That's because this IS war, maggot!" Chef retorted. "Now go!"

* * *

The Platypuses lost sight of the Narwhals while running. Nathan was the only one on the Perilous Platypuses who was still able to run and actually _wanted _to win. Axel wanted to lose and was relieved that he had a valid reason for not being able to try and win, but Thorna desperately wanted to win... and yet, she didn't have much strength left in her. "Come on, Thorna!" Nathan encouraged his teammate. "Do you seriously want to lose?"

"No... I DON'T!" Thorna answered determinedly. She struggled to find any leftover energy in her body that could be put to use. She wouldn't give up. Giving up would mean her inevitable elimination.

"Nathan!" Axel complained, staring at him crossly. "Why are you encouraging that witch to save herself from a deserved elimination?"

"Because I'm a nice person, unlike you!" Nathan replied, then covered his mouth. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean that. It's just that you're acting really mean."

"I'm not offended," Axel assured his friend, "but if you're not going to go along with the strategy then I am!"

Making sure he had a tight grip on his pot, Axel surged forward and barreled into Thorna, making her fall and making her plant pot skid away. After wobbling around for a bit, it stabilized itself. Thorna stood up and took only one step when a random piano fell from the cieling and crashed down right next to her.

Thorna stared at where the piano landed in shock. "Phew," she let out a sigh of relief. "Hey, Warrior! Don't you want to win!"

"Does it _look _like I want to win?" Axel demanded rhetorically, snorting.

**Confessional**

(Thorna) Now I realize that I HAVE to up my game. Failure is not an option.

(Axel) I think that the next challenge, I'm gong to tell Kane and Sara to lose with me so we can vote Nathan out. He clearly doesn't understand what strategy is.

(Nathan) You know, I bet that if Thorna disappears today, the next most disliked player on the team would be Axel.

**End Confessional**

* * *

Meanwhile, the Notorious Narwhals were having a little trouble moving on in the challenge. The reason: dogs.

"Are dogs suppose to growl zis much?" Ifrena wondered as a pack of 5 vicious-looking canines advanced forward, baring their sharp, glistening white teeth.

"When you get past the predatory demeanor, they're actually cute," Cookie observed. "Who's a cute doggy!" she cooed.

The leading dog barked threateningly.

"Okay. Not cute. Got it," Cookie said in response beginning to panic.

"Why does Chris even have dogs?" Drew asked to no one in particular.

"Who cares!" Ifrena growled. "Ve've got to get out of here vith our plants safe."

Suddenly a familiar person came running into the area. She was covered in filth, her hair and clothes were a mess and she was panting rapidly. "Drew... you... suck!" she barked.

"Wow, Dalia. Dirt suits you," Drew joked.

"If you think it looks good on me, wait 'till I bury you under ten feet of soil! You're a cruel, heartless moron and I will enjoy it when your sorry butt is kicked out of here. Do you know how I climbed out? I had to take the plant and..."

"DALIA!" Cookie interrupted the Parade Rainer's rant. "The dogs!"

Dalia suddenly noticed the five scary animals moving towards her.

"Oh, you want to mess with me?!" she asked the dogs, walking forward, as well. "I've been through hell for the past hour and a half! My only companion was a stupid plant and for some reason whenever I talked to it it would talk back! I've suffered terrible things, so BACK OFF!"

Dalia's dangerous expression forced the dogs to back off. They whimpered and scurried away.

"Go Dalia!" Drew praised. "Way to show those dogs who's boss!"

The only reply he got from her was a kick to the private area.

* * *

"Chris," Gordon said, shaking from fear. "Your pet plant is sniffing me and salivating."

Larry was staring at Gordon curiously. He took in his scent and was shocked by how tasty he was. The large, carnivorous plant opened his mouth and was about to swallow Gordon alive.

"CHRIS!" Gordon shrieked in panic. But he was not there.

Just then Chris appeared on Larry's back with a needle in his hand. "Yeah... we're filming live right now, and someone who was watching apparently thought it was very dangerous to have a giant man-eating plant on a reality show. They called some government people and even though they were tired from the work they did at Wawanakwa, they still came here and demanded that he be put down. I said no, and luckily I have something better in mind." The tip of the needle Chris was wielding glistened in the sun. The host jammed it into Larry's body and immediately he fell to the ground unconscious. "Now they have put him back into his hole."

A massive black plane suddenly appeared overhead. It released a large metal claw that grabbed Larry and flung him back into the hole where he had appeared earlier. The vibration this caused made all the dug-up earth around the hole fall inwards, successfully covering it.

"Finally, I can breathe without some mutant flytrap threatening to eat me," Gordon sighed in relief.

"Oh, but he won't stay in there forever. I'll see to that," Chris told Gordon with a mischievous grin. Gordon gulped in fright.

After a few moments of just sitting there, Gordon and Chris turned to their right and saw that every other contestant was running out of the castle, breathing rapidly. "Chris, this might be one of the most irritatingly dangerous challenges we've done," Dalia told the host.

"Not only zat, but you're interns are attacking us!" Ifrena threw in.

"Don't worry," Chris assured them. "Chef, Kane and Sara are taking care of it."

* * *

Chef, Kane and Sara opened the door that led into Chris' bedroom just a crack, peering through with one eye. They could easily see the two males and the one female inspecting the room, wondering what they were going to destroy first. "I say we should get rid of the painting," the female spoke up.

The other two ex-interns nodded in agreement.

Chef swung the door fully open and somersaulted inside. He landed with his knees bent and head down. The ex-interns were shocked by his arrival.

Chef lifted his head and straightened himself. "Alright, you good-for-nothing maggots. Time to dance," he said with a sly grin. Kane and Sara entered the room just as Chef jumped high in the air and landed a flying kick at the female ex-intern, who dodged to the left.

"You can't run forever, Olivia!" Chef told her.

"You're right," Olivia agreed, "But I can fight back." She lunged at the warrior cook, throwing a punch that he easily deflected with a flick of his wrist. Chef countered the attack with a jab to Olivia's chest that sent her sprawling backwards to the ground. "Mattir! Chip! Attack!" she cried to her fellow ex-interns.

"Not so fast!" Kane declared, tripping one of the males before he could reach Olivia. "Take this! And that!" he shouted as he repeatedly hit him with his baseball bat. Kane kicked him in the private area and that was the end of the first intern. "This is actually fun," Kane said.

"Back off, freak!" Sara yelled furiously as the other male intern grabbed her by the arms. She kicked backwards, hitting this one in the privates, as well. Sara turned around and knocked him upside the head with her bat, ultimately ending the fight.

Now it was just Olivia left. Chef had corned her and was advancing forward, preparing to knock her unconscious with his baseball bat. Olivia looked around frantically, searching for a way to escape, but it was no use. Chef grabbed ahold of her hair and with his baseball bat in hand he swung down, knocking Olivia to the floor.

"Yay! We won!" Sara cheered. She began chanting, "We're the best! We're the best! We're the best!"

"You haven't won," Olivia told Sara. Apparently she hadn't been knocked out and was now holding a device in her hand with a large red button on it. "This is for the time you fed my pet schnauzer to pirahnas in the Amazon, Chris!" she roared, presing the button.

The entire room was blown apart, and the the six people that were inside were blasted sky high.

* * *

...A loud blast made Chris and Gordon jump to their feet (Gordon's knee had begun to feel better a while ago, but he was enjoying not participating in the challenge too much to say so). Without warning the ground beneath their feet collapsed, leaving Chris and Gordon nothing to do but hang on to the edges. "AAAHH!" Chris screamed in terror.

Chef, Kane, Sara, Olivia, Mattir and Chip all came rocketing out of the hole. They soared high into the air and came face to face with a little girl staring out of a huge airplane. Sara waved nervously before the six people began their rapid descent to the ground.

"This is really scary!" Sara shouted, but her voice was drowned out my the air whipping past her as she fell.

Chris and Gordon had recovered from the surprise explosion and lifted themself up to the surface just as the descending people crashed on the ground. Chef had landed on Chris. "Ge gega ee."

"What was that?" Chef asked Chris.

Chris pulled his head out from under Chef's heavy body. "Get off of me!" he cried, gasping for air.

Chef grinned innocently as he removed himself from Chris. The host stood up and dusted his shirt. "Well, I don't suppose my quarters are intact, now are they?"

Chef, Sara and Kane were whistling and looking away from the angry Chris, trying to act as non-guilty as possible.

"I'm going to make you guys fix the place, you know. You're completely useless!" Chris scolded them.

"Yes, Chris," all three of them sighed sadly.

"On the bright side, though," Kane spoke up, "We captured the ex-interns and the toilet water in the pipes made your Gemmy clean and sparkly." He pulled it out of his pants pocket with disgust and handed it to the host.

Chris just looked at it and threw it off of the roof. "I've got fifteen more. I guess I can afford to lose one."

It was now that every other contestant got back to the rooftop. "We can't run anymore," Dalia, Drew and Thorna said together.

"What!" Gordon exclaimed. "But I can't run, either. Who's gonnna run?"

"Well, I know it's not gonig to be us," Kane spoke for both him and Sara.

Sara nodded in agreement. "We've had enough for one day. Gemmies in toilets, feeding sharks, and more!"

The contestants sat down and crossed their arms, waiting for Chris to speak. Chris glanced at everyone, from the unconscious interns, to Chef, to the quitter contestants, to the 4 remaining contestants that didn't quit. "Alright. Here's what I'm going to do. Firstly, let's say bye-bye to these loser ex-interns."

A black helicopter appeared and a ladder was released from it. A man in a black suit came down and retrieved the ex-interns. The helicopter pulled them in and flew into the distance,

"Next, I want Chef, Kane and Sara to go wash themselves. They stink and look like vomit."

Sara narrowed her eyes at Chris but nonetheless followed Chef and Kane into the ruined castle. They each jumped into the large hole.

"Now," Chris said. "I'm gonna call some people who will fix this place up. Just hang on for a few minutes."

* * *

"Got any sevens?"

"Go fish."

Kane and Sara were sitting cross-legged on the ground, Their left arms were supporting their heads as they uninterestedly played Go Fish. Chris and Chef had left with the ex-interns, and while they were gone some people came to fix the gaping hole in the roof. Everyone was bored out of their minds. Cookie was busy making out shapes in the clouds in the sky, randomly shouting, "Shark!" or "Platypus" at times. The other teens were just sitting silently with their legs dangling over the edge of the roof. Some of them were contemplating whether they should jump off just to entertain themselves.

Finally, Chris and Chef returned. Everyone looked up at them.

"Good news, everyone!" the host told them. "Olivia, Mattir and Chip have been sent away to be given their punishment for ruining the show. As I can see that the hole has been fixed, we can resume the challenge."

Everyone stood up and cheered.

"Finally!" Thorna exclaimed exasperatedly.

"Let's do zis!" Ifrena grinned.

"Firstly," Chris held his hand up to silence the excited contestants. "Is everyone still sticking to their decisions they made earlier."

"One hundred percent NOT competing," Kane confirmed for Chris. Sara nodded.

"I've suffered enough already," Dalia stated monotonously.

"As much as I'd love to be on the brink of exhaustion again, no thanks," Drew spoke.

"I still can't run," Gordon said, hoping he sounded convincing.

"I might as well give up. We'll lose anyways and I'll be voted off," Thorna sighed.

Nathan, Cookie, Ifrena and Axel were the only ones who walked over to Chris and said that they'd still participate. "Alright then. It's just you guys," Chris concluded. "Now I can see that there's only two plants left for each team, so make your trip quick," he warned them. "I don't wanna wait too long."

The four of them nodded and lined up at the entrance to the castle with the plant pots in hand. "Nathan, can I just tell you something" Axel queried.

"Sure," Nathan allowed. "What do you need to tell me?"

"It's imperative that we lose today's challenge," he said, sounding a little threatening. "I don't want you to attempt to win. It's CRUCIAL that Thorna leaves."

"No," Nathan crossed his arms and scolded his teammate. "You're terrible. Usually I don't say things like that, but you've gone too far, Axel. I don't care about your plan. I'm going to win this whether you want me to or not."

"Then I'm afraid I'm going to have to do something about that," Axel informed him darkly. "If we lose the next challenge, I know exactly who's going to be voted off."

Axel walked away to take a place at the end of the line. Nathan gulped in fright.

"Alright, guys!" Chris shouted. "This is for the win! Three! Two! One! ...Go!"

Nathan took off at a speed that left the other three competitors stunned. However, they quickly composed themselves and hurried onward, carrying their heavy plants. They passed multiple areas, but none of them spotted a red "X" on the ground. "Maybe zey're all taken?" Ifrena suggested.

"Nonsense," Cookie shook her head. "There must be more!" She accidentally bumped into a large vase that was on the floor and it shattered, revealing a red "X". "See?"

Cookie placed her plant there and turned around to leave when Nathan zoomed up to her. "Aw, man," he said. "You got it first."

Axel was standing there, watching Nathan. He glared at him with disappointed. "Have you still not grasped the concept of 'strategy'?"

Nathan looked away from him and huffed. He walked by Axel with his pot, and that was when Axel made his move. He extended his leg so that Nathan tripped, his plant pot flying out of his hands. Nathan landed on his hands and quickly rolled over to catch his pot. "Phew," he said. "You'll have to try better than that, Axel!" he smirked as he got up and continued his search for the 'Xs'.

* * *

"Cookie is the only one that has placed her pot on an 'X'," Chris commentated as he viewed his television. "Nathan is searching frantically but just can't seem to find one. Ifrena is doing the same, and Axel is just walking around with his."

"Go Axel!" Sara cheered.

"Lose this challenge so we can vote off Thorna-In-My-Side!" Kane yelled to the screen.

"You're back to calling me nicknames?" Thorna asked incredulously. "You little...!

"Stuff a sock in it," Kane calmly interrupted her rage.

Kane resumed looking at the TV. Nathan was in the elimination area now, scanning the ground. "No... no... YES!" Nathan had spotted an 'X' and triumphantly placed his pot on it. "Now how do I get Axel to put HIS plant on one?" he asked himself aloud, tapping his chin. "...Guess I'll have to take his plant and do it myself," he concluded.

Nathan hurried up multiple flights of stairs. He turned a corner and spotted Ifrena and Axel at the other end of the corridor. "You're just going to let us vin?" Ifrena raised an eyebrow at Axel. "...Okay." She skipped away.

Nathan went up to Axel. "So... you're not going to find an 'X'?"

"Wasn't that obvious when we started the challenge?" Axel replied rhetorically.

"Well then, there's only one thing to do," Nathan said. He grabbed Axel's pot and pulled to free it from his teammate's arms, but Axel put up a fight. They tugged at it, neither of them able to take full control of the plant. Eventually, Axel kicked Nathan in the shin. He released his grip on it and Axel wobbled away, the weight of the pot getting to him.

"Oh no, you don't!" Nathan shouted, jumping onto Axel's back and snatching the pot. He lept back onto the ground and ran away with Axel in hot pursuit. They ran down stairs and through halls, crossin through rooms amd finally stopping at the place they originally came in. Chris, Chef, Cookie and the contestants not participating were looking in.

Ifrena arrived and looked at the two Platypuses. "Um..." she didn't know what to say.

Nathan and Axel were breathing heavily. Nathan abandoned the pot a foot away from him and fell to his knees. Axel was tired, as well, but he still stood. He wobbled over to the plant and grinned victoriously. "I can't let you win this challenge, Nathan. You know that."

"I do," Nathan admitted. "But that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"If we win, then Thorna stays, and don't tell me that you actually like her," Axel chuckled.

From where she was at the entrance, Thorna crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him.

"By ensuring that we lose today's challenge, we also ensure that the strict, evil girl that is holding back our team gets eliminated," Axel pressed on. "This is a perfect opportunity for us to get rid of her."

"I play the game fairly," Nathan snapped. "I try my hardest, no matter what! Also, I have a personality trait that you don't have, Axel. I'm merciful." He looked at Thorna, who had a confused look on her face. "I give people second chances. I let people make mistakes and learn to be better from them. I'm going to win this challenge and hopefully Thorna will show us that she is valuable, that she deserves to stay. I have hope that that'll happen."

Surprisingly, Thorna smiled at this.

"I can't believe you!" Axel laughed, picking the plant pot off of the ground. "As if the Devil will ever change? Once a Strict Chick, always a Strict Chick." He staggered over to Nathan. "She doesn't deserve a second chance. And now I'll make sure she never gets one."

Axel raised the pot over his head, preparing to smash it on the ground, but then Nathan did something that no one ever thought he'd ever do. The Nice Guy kicked Axel as hard as he could in the private area.

"Ow," Axel squeaked, loosening his grip on the pot and falling sideways to the ground, holding his tender parts in pain. The pot fell to the ground unharmed. Nathan took a deep breath and got back to his feet, taking the plant in his hands. "Now I just need to find a red 'X'."

It was then that Nathan noticed something. Behind where Chris was standing in the doorway was a mark on the ground. It looked dark due to his shadow, but when Chris moved aside the light from the sun made it glow. It was a red 'X'.

"Mine!" Ifrena shrieked, charging forward. However, Nathan blocked her way. "Begone, you filzthy Platypus!" she cried, lifting her foot to strike him. In retaliation, Nathan grabbed her leg and flipped her. Ifrena's plant pot flew out of her hands, falling to the ground. It shattered into millions of pieces, the force blowing dirt and glass everywhere. Everyone covered their eyes and waited for the dirty brown mist to clear. When it did, Nathan ran outside and put the final plant where it belonged.

"The Perilous Platypuses..." Chris began, but started coughing violently. After making sure no more coughs would arise, he restarted. "The Perilous Platypuses win! Notorious Narwhals, prepare for the afternoon, 'cause you're facing elimination today."

Gordon, Dalia, Drew and Cookie glared angrily at Ifrena, who just smiled and chuckled nervously. "Vhat an unfortunate accident zat happened, yah?" she said.

...Ifrena's teammates walked away.

"Vell... I'm screwed," Ifrena told herself.

* * *

"Welcome, Notorious Narwhals," Chris greeted the team as they arrived at the entrance to the castle. "One of you is going to be leaving tonight. Have a seat."

The Narwhals sat down in the chairs and patiently waited for Chris to announce who was safe.

"You all cast your votes. I wasn't shocked by them at all. Anyway, the first piece of scrumptious mint gum goes to... Drew."

Drew went up to claim his gum.

"...Cookie."

Cookie held her hand out, smiling innocently. Chris frowned but threw her her piece of gum.

"...Dalia."

Dalia fist pumped. "Yes!" she whispered to herself, going up to get her gum.

Ifrena and Gordon were the only remaining Narwhals that weren't chewing on a piece of gum right now. Gordon's expression was unreadable, but everyone knew that he probably wasn't worried at all. Ifrena, on the other hand, was silently going crazy. "Please don't be me, please don't be me," she repeated softly, crossing her fingers and closing her eyes tightly.

"The last piece of gum goes to...

-...-

-...-

-...-

-...-

-...-

-...-

-...-

-...-

-...-

-...-

Gordon."

Gordon gave a small smile and stood up. Chris threw him his piece of gum and he instantly popped it into his mouth.

Ifrena opened her eyes, looked at her ex-teammates with their gum in their mouths, and sighed. "Ze Spy-ssassin's time is done, I guess. Oh vell." She went over to Chris, who handed her her already-packed belongings, and faced her former team. "I hate every single vone of you, but I'm too depressed right now to do anyzing about it. Zerefore, adieu."

Ifrena walked out of the castle, crossed the drawbridge and disappeared beyond the horizon. The faint shape of a helicopter appeared in the distance, and the contestants could hear a person who was in it telling the pilot, "There she is! She tried to kill my father. Now she's going to pay."

* * *

"Ifrena's gone, making the number of competitors still in the game a grand total of 9!" Chef told the camera. "What will happen next? Will Chris remember to give me my paycheck at the end of the season? Will...?"

"What are you doing!" Chris cried in disbelief. "Only _I _can do the conclusions for the episodes!"

"I thought it would be good practice," Chef explained defensively. "I'm starting to like hosting TV shows."

"Beat it! You have some grey gunk to make from trash contents in order to make tomorrow's breakfast!" Chris commanded the cook. Chef grumbled and sulked away, leaving Chris to do his normal conclusion. "Now that I'm here, let's have a real conclusion, shall we? With Ifrena gone, we leave the not-as-crazy remaining 9 contestants to participate in the next challenge. However, only one will eventually be crowned victor at the end of the season. For now, let's satisfy ourselves with slightly easier questions. Have Kane and Sara learned their lesson about stealing my precious food? Will Thorna ever gain back the respect of her team, not that they ever gave her any in the first place? Was what happened today the beginning of a rivalry between Nathan and Axel? Find out the answers to these questions next time on TOTAL! DRAMA! CASTLLLLE MADNESSSS!"

Chris turned sideways and shouted, "See! I'm the only guy who can pull of a show's ending that well!"

Chris got a reply in the form of a frying pan hitting him in the forehead.

**Confessional ~The Votes~**

(Gordon) I know I vowed to eliminate Dalia yesterday, but during the night a thought occured to me. What if I could USE her? Then, when the time is right, I'll simply get rid of her. Now focusing on elimination, the only person that didn't do well in today's challenge was clearly Ifrena. Not only that, but her unpredictability and skill are mildly threatening to me. It's time for her to go. Good riddance!

(Dalia) DREW, YOU BASTARD!

(Drew) Dalia. Enough said.

(Cookie) Ifrena's REALLY dangerous. Didn't you hear her today? People are after her beacuse she almost killed someone!

(Ifrena) Cookie is annoying, zerefore I hope eveyvone else votes for her like me.

**End Confessional**

**End Results: 1 vote for Drew, 1 vote for Dalia, 1 vote for Cookie, 2 votes for Ifrena**

**Perilous Platypuses: Sara, Nathan, Thorna, Kane, Axel**

**Notorious Narwhals: Gordon, Dalia, Cookie, Drew**


	5. Ruins Of Madness

Chris and Chef were both standing at the drawbridge, facing the camera. "Welcome back to..." Chef started, but was interrupted by Chris.

"...another episode of Total Drama Castle Madness," Chris interjected. "Chef, this is MY thing. Got it? Not yours. Mine."

"Well too bad," Chef retorted. "I like it!"

"You're a cook, not a co-host!" Chris yelled.

"Oh yeah? Well watch this!" Chef exclaimed as he smacked Chris upside the head with a frying pan he pulled out of nowhere. "I'M GONNA START TAKING CHARGE, GOT IT?!" Flattening his apron, Chef smiled at the camera. "Anyway, as I was trying to say, welcome back to another episode of Total Drama Castle Madness. Last time the teams had to place plant pots everywhere in the castle. It was a dangerous journey, where people fell into holes, got hit by ping pong balls, and were attacked by dogs. In the end, the damn Platypuses won, and 'cause Ifrena was a terrible player she was given the boot."

Glancing down at Chris with a worried expression, Chef asked the cameraman, "Could you lock him up somewhere?" The cameraman nodded and Chef held the camera while Chris got dragged out of view. "Anyway, we've still got nine impatient brats to torture. Find out how ruthless I will be with them right here on TOTAL! DRAMA! CASTLLLLE MADNESSSS! ...I'm way better than Chris at this!"

"Whatever you say," the cameraman mumbled.

Off screen, the sound of a frying pan hitting the cameraman could be heard.

* * *

"Well, well. If it isn't the traitor," Axel announced with disgust as he woke up to find Nathan standing beside a window.

"Traitors betray their team. I only helped us," Nathan pointed out.

"My point was that you went against our plans," Axel retorted through clenched teeth. "Your niceness will be the end of us."

"Yeah? Well... at least it's better than your... mean...ness!" Nathan snapped back uncertainly.

Axel raised an eyebrow. "...O-kay then," he remarked slowly. He retreated from his bed and left the room.

**Confessional **

(Axel) Today I'm going to ensure that what Nathan did won't happen again. I'll be keeping an eye on him, and if he tries anything funny I will have to intervene.

**End Confessional**

* * *

"We... lost!" Dalia whined to Gordon and Drew. The Notorious Narwhals were on the roof of the castle, looking down upon the endless grasslands. "We might as well just kill ourselves now to spare ourselves from the humiliation we'll receive later in the season."

"Don't make such a big deal about it," Drew advised her. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall, right? And right now the Perilous Platypuses have more members than us. Plus, they're not as competent."

"Well, I don't know about that," Gordon pointed out. He turned around to spot Cookie giddily doing cartwheels a few feet away. "Hey guys!" she shouted. "Watch this!"

Cookie lifted her hands as she flipped upside down. If she was attempting to roll on the ground and fall off the side of the roof, then she succeeded. She hit the ground below with a loud thud. "Ow..." she groaned, standing up and dusting herself off. "I'm alright!" Cookie called to the others up above.

"Okay, I stand corrected," Drew nodded. "But trust me, we can definitely take those weak Platypuses out."

"You're right," Dalia agreed. "We'll crush them so badly that they won't be able to move their limbs for weeks and will suffer severe trauma from their loss."

"You're getting progressively worse," Drew told her.

"No one asked you." Dalia stuck her tongue out. "Besides, what's wrong with wanting to squeeze are enemies so hard that blood will pour out of them in gallons..."

"Let's not do any literal squeezing," Gordon interrupted the argument. "Now I think I may have a plan that'll ensure the Pee Pees lose today."

Dalia snickered at the abbreviation.

**Confessional**

(Gordon) The person that should leave next on the other team is... okay, I don't know. All of them are pretty strong competitors. Axel's got brains AND brawn, Nathan's got tons of endurance, Thorna's got her immense speed, and Kane and Sara have enough metaphorical strength to send this castle into ruins... metaphorically speaking. I've got to figure out who to target.

(Cookie) I've noticed that the rest of my team are really serious about this whole competition. Loosen up, guys! Have fun! WEEEE! ...My head hurts.

**End Confessional**

Cookie staggered back into the castle. The remaining Notorious Narwhals stood up. Drew reentered the castle, but Gordon grabbed Dalia's wrist before she could do the same. "Hey! What the hell?!" she barked, struggling to break free of Gordon's grasp.

"Relax," Gordon rolled his eyes. "I have to talk strategy with you."

"Grab me again and I'll make sure I release Larry from his hole in the ground so he can devour you," Dalia warned, "But sure, I'll talk."

"I need you to do something," Gordon commenced, "And I don't know if you'll like it."

"Well I first have to hear it before giving my opinion," Dalia pointed out.

"True," Gordon nodded. "Anyway, you know that the other team has people with dense minds, right?"

"Yeah," Dalia replied. "For instance, they ignored Mark when he tried to explain he was innocent and stuff during that orb search challenge."

"Exactly," Gordon grinned. "So I was thinking. I hatch a plan that'll make one of the Platypuses out to be a traitor once more. This plan can work two ways, though. One is the victim of the plan is framed. Second is that one of us frames another person who wasn't actually involved in the plan, but kind of knew about it."

"And no one will believe the victim 'cause the Platypuses are stupid!" Dalia concluded. "That's awesome! So what's the idea."

"You need to hook up with Nathan."

"WHAAAAAT?!" Dalia gasped. She did NOT see this coming. "You... you want me to get together with that overemotional, naive idiot?"

"When he gets caught with you, everyone will think that he's betraying his team, just like Mark," Gordon explained. "Then, I might make it so that everyone thinks someone on their team is responsible for this... maybe Kane or Axel or someone strong like that. Also, there's one other thing... you have to kiss Nathan."

"Are... ARE YOU NUTS!" Dalia screamed, emanating pure rage. Gordon covered her mouth with his hand.

"Grjhirlgfjdfljg," Dalia tried to speak, but her words were incoherent with Gordon clasping her mouth.

"Kissing him will put the icing on the cake," Gordon said. "Or rather, it'll put the base at the bottom of the cake so it won't topple over. Got it?"

Dalia raised an eyebrow.

"It'll ensure that the whole thing is believable," Gordon explained.

Dalia narrowed her eyes dangerously, but eventually gave in. She nodded.

Gordon retracted his hand. "Good."

**Confessional**

(Dalia) Though I'm absolutely disgusted with what Gordon has in mind, I do admit that it's a smart idea. I'm sure it won't be that hard to win the stupid guy over.

**End Confessional**

* * *

Axel decided to get a little more rest before breakfast. Kane and Sara were still asleep together on Kane's bed. Thorna woke up, though. She yawned and stretched as she sat up in her bed. "Alright, people! Wake up!"

No one budged.

"I said WAKE UP!" she yelled.

"Ow!" Nathan cried, entering the room. "You don't have to be so loud."

"Whatever," Thorna retorted. "What're you doing out of bed so early?" she demanded.

"Looking for Chris to apologize for Kane and Sara stealing his food two days ago," Nathan replied. "I figure it would be the right thing to do."

"Wow. You're a very special guy," Thorna commented with mild disgust. "One of a kind. Definitely."

"Be nice," Nathan crossed his arms. "I defended you during the last challenge."

The memories of last challenge flooded back into Thorna's mind. "I didn't need defending. I was perfectly capable of handling the situation myself," Thorna boasted matter-of-factly, approaching Nathan. "Besides, I SO wouldn't have been eliminated if we lost."

"Actually, you would've been the first on everyone's list of people to eliminate," Nathan pointed out. "Anyway, I'm starting to regret it," he admitted, leaving Thorna to go up to the window with the image of a queen. "I'm starting to see that there might not be anything I can do to make you less..."

"I don't need to be changed!" Thorna shouted, then lowered her voice when Sara rolled over in her sleep. "Look, fine. Whatever. Thanks for saving my bacon and what not. You won't regret it." Going up to Nathan once more, she added, "I'll be nice to you, I promise."

"What about to everyone else?" Nathan inquired. "You have to be good to them, too."

"No way!" Thorna shook her head at the suggestion of this. "They should fear me and do everything I say!"

"But they don't," Nathan told her. "It's because of your bossy personality. No offense."

"Well, I like to be in charge," Thorna countered.

"Then you must not have a lot of friends," Nathan said.

"I do so have friends!" Thorna retorted, offended.

"Okay, okay, fine!" Nathan held up his hands in defeat. He once again departed from the room.

Thorna held a sad look on her face for a second, but then shook her head to get rid of it.

**Confessional**

(Thorna) I have friends. Unlike these people, they respect me and worship me for my brilliance. I'm not lying. I DO! ...

(Nathan) I helped my team win so Thorna could have a second chance, but... was it really worth it?

**End Confessional**

The other Platypuses had woken up and were heading downstairs for breakfast. "What's with the extra sleep time?" Sara wondered aloud. "I thought Chris would rudely wake us up again."

"Guess he wanted his sleep, too," Kane answered.

* * *

Chris held a hand to his sore forehead as his consciousness gradually returned to him. "What the... Chef!" he growled. "Get me out of here! I'll not only take your paycheck away, but your billion dollar mansion in the Caribbean, as well! Don't think I'm kidding!"

It was no use. No one was there to save the host.

"Now how do I get out of here?" Chris wondered aloud. He paced back and forth. He couldn't see anything in the pitch-black room, and when he took three paces he bumped into a wall. "Why does it smell in here?" he asked himself. Finding a light switch, Chris turned it on to discover that he was in the confessional from the older seasons, which had been placed somewhere in a giant room of random things inside the castle. "EW! GROSS!" he shrieked. "Chef, when I escape, I will make sure your future job resumes say, 'Is a terrible listener.'" He tried to open the stall door, but it was locked.

He sighed dejectedly.

**Confessional**

(Chris) Why, Chef? Why on earth did you have to place me in here?

**End Confessional**

* * *

Dalia and Gordon entered the castle and were now standing in the area where the climactic moment of last challenge took place. "I'm so glad Ifrena's gone," Dalia sighed. "She might've been more deadly than if Chris had all of his fancy food stolen... oh wait, that happened." She cackled devilishly.

"What the...?" Gordon wondered aloud. "What's that canister on the floor...?"

Before Dalia could give an answer, the canister began releasing a strange green gas into the air. Within seconds, both of the Narwhals were on the ground, unconscious.

* * *

"Hey, wait up!" Thorna called grumpily to Kane and Sara, who were a few feet further than them down the final flight of stairs to the main floor, where they'd turn left to go to the dining hall. "You wanna abandon us?"

"What?" Kane asked irritably. "We weren't 'abandoning' you. Why do you always think we're doing something bad."

"It's actually just you," Thorna began to explain, but was then interrupted by an odd hissing sound. "What's that?"

The Platypuses looked down and found a can spraying gas into the air. After a long moment of confusion, one by one they began to fall unconscious.

**Confessional**

(Chef) Just wait 'till you see what I do with them.

**End Confessional**

* * *

Chris sat, bored, on the confessional's toilet. "He could've at least left me with my hair gel. I can feel my luscious hair flattening into a mushroom look on my head from the heat."

Just then, an ungodly rumbling could be heard. It was like a volcanic explosion, but slightly less powerful. It consumed the entire confessional, and Chris blocked his ears to try and avoid becoming deaf. "WHAT'S CHEF DOING?!" he asked himself above the noise.

* * *

Cookie was the first one to wake up, and she did so to blinding sunlight. "Why am I outside?" she wondered. "I was trying to go to the bathroom. Which room did I go into instead?"

Cookie's eyes fluttered open completely and she noticed that she wasn't exactly in a room. The clear blue morning sky was visible overhead. Cookie lifted the top half of her body, and then collapsed once more to the ground. She turned her head left and saw that a wall had been destroyed, revealing the outside as well. Looking back up, Cookie deduced that she wasn't outside. There was just a giant hole on every floor that led to the top of the castle.

Cookie turned back around and exited the castle. She found herself at the front, with the drawbridge to her left and the castle moat right in front of her, stretching around the castle. She peered down and was met with a half dozen alligators staring back up at her. "AAAHH!" she yelled. Cookie hurried to the drawbridge and entered the castle once more...

Crumbling walls, ruined staircases, and more. The entire castle had somehow fallen apart while Cookie was knocked out. "HELLO!" she called. "Is anyone else still alive?"

"Oh no. Not you," a familiar male voice spoke. Cookie pivoted her body to face the castle entrance, where Drew was standing. "Oh joy. If it isn't the hyperactive optimist."

"DREW!" Cookie cried happily, running up and hugging her teammate.

"Can't... breathe," Drew choked out. Cookie held the embrace for a second longer before releasing Drew, "Woah, chickzilla. Calm your monstrous emotions," Drew held up his hands.

"You're safe!" Cookie exclaimed cheerfully. "Do you know what happened?"

"Why on earth would I know? Do I look like I'm all knowing?" Drew asked rhetorically.

"Well, technically you act like..."

"Don't answer that," he interrupted. "Look. We've got to find our other teammates right now, okay?"

Cookie nodded. Drew sighed heavily. "Great. I'll have to spend the entire day with _her_. Someone kill me now."

**Confessional **

(Chef) YEP! I partially ruined the castle. Don't worry. It's easily fixable. This is just to add to the challenge. The main part will begin shortly. Mwahahahaha!

**End Confessional**

* * *

The Perilous Platypuses woke up at relatively the same time. "K... Kane?" Sara asked, desperately hoping he was safe.

"...I'm right here," Kane responded, in a slight daze as a side effect of the gas. "I feel like a train carrying tons of severely obese cows just hit me."

Sara scrambled to her feet and hurried towards where he was on the ground. They were in the dining hall, and it was completely trashed. The long table had split in two and got scorched by a flame that was now dead. The various paintings that used to hang on the walls were completely obliterated and the red carpet that covered the ground was shredded in multiple places.

"Kane... something's wrong with the castle," Sara whispered in shock.

"That's an understatement," Kane chuckled as he sat up and scanned the room. "What do you think was the cause of this?"

"Can't say," Sara shrugged. "We should find Chris. Maybe he can tell us."

"Thank you for forgetting us once again," Thorna mumbled as she stood up and dusted herself off. "What happened?"

"We know as much as you do, so don't ask," Sara interjected. She helped Kane to his feet and then went over to Nathan, who held his head in pain. "Is everyone alright?" he asked.

"_I'm_ fine," Axel spoke. "Everyone looks okay. Now the first thing we must do is..."

"Find Chris," Kane finished for Axel. "That's what we should do, as Sara said."

"Actually, I was thinking..." Axel began, but then thought better of it. "Alright. That's not a bad idea. Lead the way."

Kane nodded and together everyone started to exit the dining hall, but then they heard a moaning. Dalia and Gordon were in the dining hall with them. They reclaimed their footing. "Chris," Dalia growled through clenched teeth, "I swear I will capture you and force feed you Chef's crappy food for what you've done. And then I'll strangle you, place you in a body bag and..."

"What dark thoughts you have," Nathan observed.

"What pointless observations you make," Dalia retorted.

"Hey! Lay off, you Narwhal brat!" Thorna defended Nathan. Then, in his ear, she whispered, "See? I can be nice."

Nathan rolled his eyes.

"We're coming with you," Gordon stated firmly. "We should all stick together." He nudged Dalia in the shoulder and gestured to Nathan, and Dalia understood why they have to remain united.

"Yeah," Dalia agreed. "And if you try to brush us off, too bad. We'll cling like leeches... I can't come up with anything dark to say right now... god, I'm tired."

"...Uh, okay," Kane replied. "Let's get moving."

"Hey!" Thorna protested. "I'm the one who leads this team, punk! The Platypuses answer to me!"

"You gave up the right to be listened to the day you spoke your first words to me," Kane countered. "Lay off, Strictey."

"You're back to that nickname?!" Thorna asked incredulously. She raised her hands to strangle him, but Axel intervened. "Keep it moving," Axel advised her. The Platypuses and two Narwhals exited the dining hall.

Dalia advanced towards Nathan. "Hey, Nathan," she greeted him seductively. She cringed in disgust at her own words, but kept the facade.

"Uh... hi," Nathan responded.

**Confessional **

(Dalia) EW! EW! EW! EW! EW! It's like trying to charm an innocent yet ugly and hopelessly stupid bunny that you constantly imagine decapitating... there. I've got my darkness back!

(Nathan) Why am I attracting all the bad people on this show? First Axel, then Thorna, and now the creepy, dark girl... I hope Dalia isn't offended by this...

**End Confessional**

* * *

Chef stood in the back of the castle, nodding approvingly at his handiwork. "Destruction is glorious," he declared softly to himself. "You did good, Chef."

Chef whirled around and began to dig into the compact earth under his feet. He eventually found a remote, the same one that Chris had used to release Larry. "Where did I put Larry before replacing him with the other thing?" he wondered as he skimmed through his brain's files to try and remember.

* * *

Chris had pulled a strand of his hair out of his head and was inspecting it intently. "To think that millions of tiny Chris cells create this one piece of hair," he said in awe. "If I had my way, a single strand would be worth a fortune," he sighed dreamily.

Chris' day dreaming of money was interrupted by another rumbling, except it wasn't as loud or as distant as the previous one. "Chef, what the hell is going on! My room better be intact when I get out of here!"

"Hrgh?" The noise sounded animal-like, and Chris immediately recognized it. "Larry! Is that you, buddy?

Panting and clear liquid entering through the top of the confessional was the response. Chris peeked through a tiny hole in the side of the booth to see dark green. "Oh, Larry! Thank goodness. Can you get me out of here?"

Larry snorted indignantly.

"Right, right. Of course you can," Chris waved him off absently. "Now get me out!"

Larry, on the outside, glanced at the confessional from multiple sides. He measured the width, and then the perimeter. Finally...

He tipped it over, and the top popped open.

Chris crawled out. "I'm alive! I can't believe it! I'm out and I'm alive!" Looking up at Larry, he said, "Thanks, buddy. Remind me to give you extra zebra meat for dinner."

Larry salivated excitedly. Chris jumped out of the way to avoid getting hit by a drop of Larry's spit. "Alright. Now can you take me outside?" Chris requested.

Larry nodded solemnly and picked Chris up, placing him on his back. "Onward, Larry!" Chris commanded valiantly, raising a non-existent sword in his hands.

* * *

"Eh, doesn't matter," Chef shrugged. "Time to release this baby."

Chef slid a secret panel off of the remote and clicked the red button that lay inside of it. Instantaneously, the ground began to shake. This time, however, a mutated plant didn't emerge from the ground. Instead...

It was a dragon.

"Georgia!" Chef called to the scaly, grey beast. "You know what you gotta do. Good luck, soldier!"

Georgia the dragon spread its wings, gave a mighty roar, and flew off in search for the contestants.

**Confessional **

(Chris) What was that sound? ...No... NO! IT CAN'T BE... did Chef just release who I think he released?

(Chef) I'm a great reality show host! See? Plus, I know even more than Chris does about his gadgets and creatures. Well, actually, Georgia is an animatronic monster, but we treat her as a pet. Georgia is safe to have running loose as long as she doesn't incinerate any of the contestants and or completely obliterate the castle. ...You know, to be honest, I'm not sure how to control the dragon.

**Confessional**

* * *

"So Nathan." Dalia began quizzically, strolling alongside him as the 7 competitors crossed through a dimly lit hallway with a ceiling that seemed on the verge of collapsing upon them. "What are your various interests?" _This is so disgusting! s_he thought to herself.

"Wh-why d-d-do y-you ask?" Nathan stuttered in response, becoming more unnerved by Dalia's presence by the second.

"Just curious," Dalia shrugged, flashing an innocent smile.

"Well, I like baseball and Math and exploring places..." Nathan rambled on while Dalia pretended to listen interestedly.

"I say we make a right," Thorna ordered her team.

"But left is where Chris' quarters are," Sara remarked. "He's bound to be there."

"But right is the way I say we should go," Thorna retorted.

"You're more insufferable than usual," Kane commented. "Why is that?"

"Maybe it has something to do with knowing you guys want to eliminate me," Thorna replied disdainfully.

"Perhaps if you weren't such an idiotic, offensive, cold-hearted jerk, we'd like you more," Kane suggested.

"If it isn't the human thesaurus, back to eradicate its enemies it has deemed inferior to itself!" Thorna exclaimed sardonically.

"Now you're just using petty insults to remind us of the fact that we've realized what a terrible person you are."

Thorna growled in anger and shoved Kane to a wall.

Within a split second, the section of the ceiling above Thorna's head fell apart and toppled onto her. She shrieked in terror. Dust built up around everyone, and when it cleared a moment later they saw Thorna trapped underneath a large pile of rubble. Kane was unharmed and not buried beneath it.

"Guess that's karma for everything you've done," Sara chuckled.

"Guys!" Nathan snapped. "We have to help her."

"Or, we could leave her here to think about the error of her ways. That would be a better option," Axel recommended. "Quit being nice to that sad excuses of a human being," he told Nathan.

Nathan glanced at Kane, and then at Axel, and then at Thorna. "Alright."

"WHAT?!" Thorna cried. "Are you serious?! You can't just leave me here! Not like last time. Nathan, please!"

"This time it's even better 'cause you can't find us again," Axel smirked.

"Platypuses, onward!" Kane instructed his team.

The Perilous Platypuses plus Gordon and Dalia nodded. Thorna was eventually left alone in the dark hallway.

**Confessional **

(Thorna) This is the second time I've been abandoned. How could they! I rule! I RULE! I... (begins to sob)

(Kane) I don't treat people with respect if they don't show it. Thorna, your butt is the next one gone.

(Dalia) You see? This is the type of guy I'm being forced to feign being in love with. It's infuriating! Gordon, I swear if this doesn't work, you'll be sorry.

**End Confessional**

* * *

"Can you lick your elbow?" Cookie asked Drew as they made their way to the back of the castle.

"No, nor have I ever even tried," Drew answered irritably. "Why are _you _so random."

Cookie was oblivious to Drew at the moment, for she was now on her stomach and doing the worm to progress forward. "This is really fun! You should try it!"

"I might." Drew said, "Perhaps when I'm one hundred and forty, and on the verge of dying from an incurable, deadly disease... wow, I'm starting to sound like Dalia."

Suddenly, Cookie stopped where she was. She let her head rest on the ground with her right ear pressed against the soil. "What's that rumbling sound?"

"Uh... Cookie?"

"What?" Cookie questioned her teammate, looking up. Drew was pointing ahead of him. Cookie turned in the direction he was facing to spot...

...A dragon.

"AAAAHHH!" Cookie began to panic. Drew was having a nervous laughing fit, but he snapped out of it and the two began to run in the opposite direction. The dragon gave a mighty roar and soared into the air, landing in front of the two Narwhals.

"This way!" Drew instructed Cookie, pointing towards a hole in the wall. He grabbed Cookie's hand and pulled her inside. It was a dead end, but at least they were safe from the dragon.

Or so they thought.

"Stop screaming," Drew shook Cookie's arm as she shrieked hysterically, witnessing the dragon stick it's nose into the crack. Thick, black smoke puffed out and the cloud of gas reached the two of them. They coughed uncontrollably for a few seconds. "We have to get out of here," Drew told Cookie.

"Yah think?!" she barked with a high-pitched voice. She began to thrash around, which only made the dragon's hunger for them even stronger. It began to claw at the tiny entrance, salivating for the teenagers' flesh.

Eventually, Cookie hit something that made light flood into their small, constricting cavern. "Cookie! Keep thrashing!" Drew commanded his teammate.

Cookie did as she was told, whether by Drew's command or by her natural panicking. In any case, she soon poked a hole through the wall behind them. A few more seconds of shaking around and there was a hole leading to a brightly lit room. Cookie pushed through and dragged Drew along. They barricaded the entrance to block out the dragon's searching eye.

"Woohoo! We're safe!" Cookie cheered. She trapped Drew in a bear hug, suffocating him. "Can't... breathe... again!" he choked.

"You saved us. My hero!" she gushed giddily. Cookie planted a long, wet kiss on Drew's cheek. When she pulled away, Drew wore an extremely shocked expression on his face.

**Confessional **

(Drew) ...

**End Confessional**

* * *

Drew and Cookie now took the time to examine their surroundings. It was a room neither of them had ever set foot in before. A vast expanse of marble floor, with a mud brown ceiling from which hung several dim fluorescent lights. "A warehouse, I'm guessing," Drew deduced as he scanned the multiple crates and odd objects that were scattered throughout the place.

"What's that thing moving over there?" Cookie indicated with her finger towards a faint object near the end of the warehouse. It was dark green in colour and on top of it was a faint black speck that might have been a human.

"Let's go find out," Drew said. "Before that thing bursts in here and consumes us."

The two Notorious Narwhals made their way forward, while at the same time the dragon was knocking at the wall, attempting to get in.

**Confessional**

(Georgia the dragon) (Head enters through hole in wall) Gr grr hrr hrg grr!

**End Confessional**

* * *

Chris relaxed on Larry's back as the mutated plant scoured the area, searching for an exit. "Gr hr gr..." he began.

"Don't give up!" Chris ordered. "There's bound to be a way out. Keep looking."

As he spoke this, a loud rumbling emanated from across the room. "What's that?" Chris asked himself.

It was at this time that Georgia broke through the wall and flew into the air, searching for any living things to eat.

"Larry! Hurry up!" Chris commanded, beginning to panic.

* * *

"Favourite cake?" Dalia asked Nathan, yawning.

"Cheesecake," Nathan responded with the same tiredness. "Answering questions is boring and tiring."

"How do you think it is for me?" Dalia grumbled.

"What?" Nathan inquired.

"Nothing," Dalia replied.

Axel glanced suspiciously at the two of them. "Kane," he called to the lover boy, who was at the front of the group.

"Yeah?" he queried, detaching from the others so he and Axel could speak privately.

"I'm growing suspicious about Dalia and Nathan," the strategist confided. "I'm starting to wonder if something's going on between Nathan and the Narwhals."

"...I see," Kane nodded solemnly in understanding. He was staring at Nathan nervously talking to Dalia.

"I don't know what to do," Axel continued. "Would it be okay if you just kept an eye on him? Spy on him to see if he's doing anything traitorous?"

"Can do," Kane responded. He returned to his position in the front.

"What was that about?" Sara asked him as they walked alongside each other.

"Axel doesn't trust Nathan," he informed her. "Who can blame him, though, right?"

Kane and Sara turned around to spot Dalia tugging Nathan in another direction, into a room. Kane narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to go see what's up."

"Be back soon," she told him. They kissed quickly and Kane made his way towards the entrance of the room. He peeked inside to see Dalia talking to Nathan.

"Look, Nathan," Dalia said sweetly, making swirling motions on his chest with her finger. "I've been meaning to tell you something..."

"Uh..." was Nathan's only response.

"How's it going?" Gordon greeted Kane as he joined him by the door. "Woah. What's going on?"

"Sh!" he snapped. "I'll talk about it later."

The two boys continued to watch.

"See," Dalia commenced. "I've been feeling a little something towards you since the beginning of the season."

In her mind, Dalia was vomiting in gallons.

"You... you did?" Nathan probed nervously.

"Yeah," Dalia answered seductively. "But now, I can't hold my emotions in any longer." Pulling Nathan closer, Dalia thought, _Kill me now, kill me now, kill me now._

Kane gasped as he realized what was about to happen. He ran into the room and pushed Nathan out of the way, but this made him collide with Dalia. They fell to the ground and Dalia, unaware of what was going on, kissed Kane.

Kane's eyes widened in shock at what was going on. He swiftly pushed away from Dalia, who opened her eyes and was also surprised at what she had done. "What... how... what?"

Kane stood up quickly. Dalia and Nathan did the same...

"Kane?"

Kane pivoted his body, and standing at the entrance was Gordon and...

Sara.

**Confessional **

(Gordon) Did I hurriedly bring Sara over to witness her boyfriend kissing another girl so I could create distrust on the Platypuses' side? ...Hell yes.

(Nathan) What the hell was going on?

(Dalia) I just kissed... Kane?! How on earth? ...This is really awkward for me. I can't even conjure up something dark, pessimistic and witty to conceal my utter shock.

(Sara) HOW COULD YOU!

(Kane) Oh crap.

**End Confessional**

Sara stood there, frozen, with her jaw completely slack. She diverted her eyes, instead choosing to shoot murderous daggers at Dalia, who didn't even know how to respond. Nathan slowly backed away, and then opened a door and disappeared. Gordon walked away, as well.

"Kane... what's going on?" she interrogated him, eyes locked on Dalia.

"Sara, it's not what you think..." Kane began, but that was when Mount Sara erupted.

"ICAN'TBELIEVEYOUWOULDJUSTKISSANOT HERGIRLWHYWOULDYOUICAN'TEVENBELIEVEHOWCOULDYOUCHEAT ONME..."

"I'm just gonna go..." Dalia informed her.

"Oh here. Let me help you," Sara said with false sweetness. She grabbed Dalia by the wrist and with brute force tossed her out of the room.

"Sara?"

"Save it, you cheating jerk!" Sara snapped. "I may not have a vast vocabulary like you do, but all you have to do is look at me to see what I'm feeling."

Kane nodded. Sara emanated pure rage, and Kane didn't need to hear about it in many different words to know that this would not end well.

"I trusted you...we were together...we had a connection...and then you just took it all and crushed it!"

"Sara, you know me!" Kane protested, even though it was futile. "You know very well I would never..."

"You f***in kissed her!" Sara barked. She stomped away.

**Confessional **

(Gordon) It's hilarious how in these types of situations the partner will never want to hear the second side of the story.

(Kane) If Sara truly trusted me, then she'd have listened to me. I guess I'm not the only one who's at fault here.

**End Confessional**

* * *

Drew and Cookie were sprinting down a row of giant metal crates as the dragon soared above, trying to spot prey. "I can't believe Chris would just let that feral thing run wild," Drew complained.

"I'm trying to think optimistically in this situation," Cookie explained, "but if I say anything positive about what we've gotten into I'd be lying. There is seriously no way we're making it out of this alive."

"Way to boost our confidence," Drew commented sarcastically.

"Look!" Cookie gasped. The two of them halted in their tracks, for Larry was blocking their way.

"Woah, Larry! Woah!" Chris shouted to the beast. Larry excreted green goop from the pores on his head and it splashed all over Drew and Cookie. "Ew!" Drew whined.

"Chris!" Cookie shrieked, relieved to see another familiar face. "Why is there a dragon after us?"

"You can thanks Chef for that loony idea," Chris answered back. "Now get on! We've got to get out of here before..."

Georgia swooped down and pealed Chris from Larry's back. "NOOOO!" he squealed in terror.

"Don't worry Chris! We'll get you down!" Cookie assured the host. He didn't look like he had much confidence in Cookie, however.

"How do you plan to get Chris back from a gigantic, deadly, powerful, fire-breathing dragon?" Drew asked skeptically.

"With a gigantic, deadly, powerful, goop-secreting plant! Duh!" Cookie responded. She cartwheeled over to Larry and then rocketed straight into the air, landing elegantly on the monstrosity's head. "Larry! Get back our beloved host!"

"Good grief," Drew smacked his forehead. "We're doomed."

Larry surged forward, grabbing Drew in his mouth and launched the panicking contestant onto his head alongside Cookie. The gargantuan plant leaped into the air and headbutted Georgia, sending the dragon spiralling towards the ground below.

"It's like my private amusement park, only a thousand times more life-threatening than any of the rides there!" Chris exclaimed. "And that's saying something!"

At the last second, Georgia swerved up to avoid a deadly crash. She growled angrily at Larry, who simply stuck his snake-like tongue out to mock her. Enraged, Georgia descended rapidly, teeth exposed, ready to rip the other creature to shreds.

"Larry! Jump!" Cookie commanded. Larry did so right as the dragon dived for them. Larry landed on Georgia's back and with its leafy limbs reached for Chris, who was trapped in Georgia's claws. "Save me, you brats! Save me!" Chris roared.

"Maybe we should just leave him!" Drew shouted in Cookie's ear, trying to speak above the racing air blowing past them due to the dragon's speed.

"No!" Cookie shook her head. She kicked Larry in a certain spot on his head and this made his arm smack the dragon's claws hard. It released Chris and he began to fall.

"Nice job," Drew snickered. "You've sealed our host's fate. Say bye bye to Chris."

Georgia shook Larry off of her and soon the plant beast plus the two Narwhals were nearing Chris. "Grab my hand!" Cookie yelled as they caught up to him.

Chris did so, and Larry landed safely on his feet on the ground. Chris, Drew and Cookie looked up to see Georgia melt a hole through the wall with a fiery breath and escape the warehouse.

Drew and Cookie (who was holding Chris in her arms bridal style) dismounted Larry. "You did it!" Chris gasped, relieved to be safe. "What would I do without you kids?"

"Does this mean you're going to be nice to us from now on?" Drew inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Probably not," Chris replied. "Now how about we find that dragon and capture it?"

"Shouldn't we destroy it, though?" Drew asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Chris questioned him in disbelief. "That thing had cost a fortune to construct. I'm not letting money go to waste like that."

"Fine," Drew raised his hands in defeat. "So how do we capture it?"

**Confessional **

(Drew) What Chris proposed is a good idea, but it's unimaginably risky...

**End Confessional**

* * *

Thorna had long ago given up any attempts to break free of her cement brick confines. She resorted to counting the many specks of dust floating aimlessly through the air. "Twenty-two thousand six hundred and eighty-seven, twenty... crap! I lost count!"

"How'd I end up back here?" a recognizable male spoke from up ahead. "Thorna, is that you?"

Through the dust particles in the air Thorna could just make out Nathan taking his time as he walked up to her.

"Great," Thorna grumbled. "Why couldn't it be anyone _but_ you?"

"I guess I'll just leave, then," Nathan proclaimed indignantly. He marched dramatically past Thorna, but just then she called to him. "Hey! I'm sorry. Being nice is difficult, especially when you're trapped under tons of rubble that you can tell is slowly crushing you every second."

"I'm not going to let you out," Nathan told her, crossing his arms and looking away. "Not until you learn your lesson."

"LESSON?" Thorna yelled furiously. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS 'LESSON'! IT'S ABSOLUTELY AGGRAVATING BEING STUCK HERE! IT CAN'T EVEN BE CONSIDERED KARMA! I HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE LET OUT OF HERE, AND I WOULD LIKE TO DO SO THIS INSTANT, SO HELP ME...!"

Thorna then broke down and began to cry.

Nathan opened one eye curiously. Thorna? CRYING? Really? It was a little hard to believe. "Um... are you really...?"

"What does it look like, you idiot!" Thorna spoke through clenched teeth, trying to hold back her tears but ultimately failing. "I don't deserve this! I don't deserve this! I don't..." Her sobbing continued.

"You, um, kind of, um, do," Nathan said uncertainly. While it was true that Thorna was a cruel person, she was still _a person._ "Look... maybe if you prove to me that you regret your meanness, I'll let you out."

"What is there to prove?!" Thorna cried. "I'm not mean! I am an intelligent and capable leader..."

"You don't act like a leader. You act like a bully," Nathan corrected.

"Fine! I give up!" Thorna responded. "I admit that my tactics used to attempt to control the team were unnecessarily cruel and I am a horrible person for insulting you all and criticizing you for absolutely no reason when it was really me at fault. I am ashamed of what I did and the only excuse I have for why it happened is because I never had a lot of attention as a kid due to my parents always working and never having enough time for me. Therefore, I try to force people to pay attention to me, and though I do succeed in getting attention it is a negative type. I'm a stupid, immature teenager who has to grow up."

Nathan's eyes were wide and his jaw nearly reached the floor. "So... that explains everything... why you're strict... why you do everything like insult us and all that... you're life at home was terrible."

"Yes!" Thorna confirmed. More sobbing ensued. "Just leave me here to lose the challenge for you or die or something... I've just had enough of this stupid game!"

"But what would be the point in that?" Nathan raised an eyebrow. "Thorna, if what you say is true..."

"I truthfully spilled my heart out, and you think I could be lying?" Thorna asked in disbelief.

"...Then you can fix yourself. Make amends with everyone, turn over a new leaf, you know?"

"Do you honestly think that I could 'turn over a new leaf' just like that?" Thorna demanded skeptically.

"Anyone can. I've helped tons of people in the past," Nathan stated proudly.

"Of course you did, mister goody two-shoes," Thorna scoffed.

"The sarcastic comments are one of the things that annoy us the most," Nathan confessed.

"Right. Guess I'll work on that later," Thorna apologized. "Look... I don't like being like this. All emotional and stuff. It's just not... me."

"Like I said, that's what we're striving to change. And trust me, you'll succeed," Nathan assured her.

"For the record," Thorna said, "I really DO want to be team captain."

"That's never gonna happen," Nathan pointed out.

"Right, right," Thorna nodded. "Now get me the hell out of here."

**Confessional **

(Thorna) I'm not a wimpy teenager! I'm not! I'm strong! You better realize that, or else! ...Oops. Sorry. Nathan told me I have to work on not being strict and not unnecessarily threatening others. My bad. My point is, I'm not some cry baby. I'm a fierce woman, and I really do mean it when I say that if anyone gets in the way of me and victory, they'll be sorry.

(Nathan) I've come through to Thorna! This is great! ...Now I just have to deal with the whole Dalia situation. _This_ is going to be difficult.

**End Confessional**

* * *

Dalia moseyed over to Gordon and whispered, "That didn't exactly go as we had wanted."

"We still got an excellent end result," Gordon pointed out, grinning. "You did well."

"That wasn't me. That was Kane's idiocy," Dalia corrected. She glanced at the guy in question through the corner of her eye. Kane was stoic, walking separate from everyone else. He stared straight ahead with blank eyes. Dalia held a worried expression on her face, but it was then replaced with her usual arrogant one. "So what do we do now?"

"We wait until we find Chris, who'll clear up this whole mess," Gordon replied.

Meanwhile, Sara was furiously marching along. "That cold, lying, bastard..." she mumbled.

"You should try to calm down," Axel advised her.

Sara whipped around, making Axel stumble and almost knock straight into her. "Calm down?!" she whispered, shooting a death stare at Axel. "He _kissed Dalia!"_

"Well being angry about it won't exactly help," Axel pointed out. "Just..."

It was then that the castle began to shake violently.

"What's going on?!" Axel shouted.

"Um... guys?" Dalia squeaked. Pointing at the wall to their right. There was a hole that revealed the outside.. or at least it should've been. Instead, there a row of revolting yellow, razor-sharp teeth. The teeth moved, and an eye took its place. It immediately spotted the contestants frozen in fear and the eye narrowed dangerously. After a tremendous roar, the wall broke down to reveal what it was.

"Son of a b****!" Dalia exclaimed as Gordon grabbed her wrist and ran along with the others. "We have to get out of here!" he shouted to the Platypuses.

Georgia growled ferociously and swiped at the teens with her tail, which had multiple jagged spikes on it. Kane ducked, Sara jumped, but Axel was hit. He was thrown to the side and hit a wall, slumping to the ground with a loud _thump! _

"Axel!" Sara cried.

"We have to keep moving," Kane advised her.

"Shut up!" Sara snapped. "I don't want you to talk to m..."

Georgia extended her front leg and trapped Sara within her claws. "AAAAHH!" she screamed. "Somebody help me!"

"SARA!" Kane yelled, but before he could sprint after her Dalia stepped in front of him. "We have to get away from here."

"But she was taken by a gigantic, menacing dragon!" Kane protested, wide-eyed. "We have to go after her!"

"First we have to find safety," Dalia informed him firmly. "We'll come up with a plan to get her later. Now unless you want to be a dragon's midday snack, get your frickin' butt moving!"

Kane glared at her. "By the way, I still hate you for what you were trying to do to Nathan."

Dalia chuckled nervously, but Kane didn't give her time to explain. He followed Gordon as the dragon flew away, turning left with the two Narwhals. They were surprised to find that they were in the hallway that led to the foyer, where they would take the stairs to Chris' quarters. "Chris has gone way too far with this challenge," Gordon shook his head in disapproval.

"Um... actually, that was me," Chef told the three of them as he appeared from behind a crumbling wall.

"You... YOU did this?" Dalia snickered. "Ha! Please! Chris is the only..."

"I CAN DO STUFF TOO, GIRLY!" Chef barked.

"Okay, geez," Dalia said to calm Chef down. "So, do you know how we turn that dragon into nothing but severed clumps of flesh?"

"That's disgusting," Chef deadpanned, "But yeah, I know how to take care of Georgia."

"You named it Georgia?" Kane chuckled.

"QUIET, FOOL! I'M SPEAKING!" Chef roared once again. "Now the only way to take care of _Georgia _is by either getting the remote that activated her and press the button again to deactivate her."

"Do you know where it is?" Gordon asked.

"It's in my pocket," Chef commenced. "It's... broken."

"Why would you break our only chance of stopping that moronic beast?" Dalia scolded the cook.

"It wasn't on purpose!" Chef said in defense. "I accidentally dropped it. But it's not the only way to defeat Georgia. It's risky, and it'll be a waste of a multi-million dollar animatronic creature..."

"Don't tell me you care about money like Chris does," Dalia warned.

"Whatever," Chef waved her off. "Anyway, the only way we can take Georgia down is by climbing onto its back and destroying the energy core attached to it. It's a half circle with colourful buttons on it."

"So how do we do that?" Kane questioned. "I have to get my girlfriend back."

"You mean ex-girlfriend," Dalia pointed out.

Kane glared at her.

"We'll go to the closet with the pillows and baseball bats we used last challenge," Chef explained. "There's a secret light switch that'll reveal even deadlier weapons we can use to finally bring the beast down."

"And get my girlfriend back!" Kane cheered.

"Ex-gir..."

"Shut up," Kane snapped.

**Confessional **

(Kane) Sara, I'm coming. And then I hope you'll finally listen to me.

(Dalia) I'm feeling a little odd. It's like my stomach is eating itself, which I know doesn't make sense but... NO! IT CAN'T BE! I'M...

(Gordon) I wish I could do some further damage to the Platypuses, but I guess that the whole Kane, Dalia, Nathan, Sara thing will have to suffice. Besides, there's a freakish mechanical dragon we have to slay.

**End Confessional**

* * *

"Welcome back to Total Drama Castle Madness!" Chris greeted the viewers enthusiastically from the old confessional booth. "Last time..."

"Chris, we don't have time for this," Drew told the host impatiently.

"But I want to do it!" Chris whined in protest. "Pleeeeeeeeeeeease?"

Drew grabbed Chris' wrist and pulled him away from the camera.

* * *

Drew and Chris went over to where Larry resided. Cookie was on his back and she was petting his head. "Aw, Larry's adorable when he isn't trying to eat us!" she cooed.

Larry snaked his massive tongue around his head and licked Cookie's entire body. Her eyes went completely blank.

"Gross," Drew commented. "Now let's keep moving. The opening's just up ahead."

Drew advanced forward and inspected the tiny hole in the wall. "Well, Larry obviously can't get through. Guess we'll have to leave him..."

Larry roared and headbutted the wall, reducing a large portion of it to mere rubble.

When the gigantic cloud of smoke cleared and Chris, Cookie and Drew recovered from a severe coughing fit, they climbed over the remains of the wall and made it outside.

"Yes! We made it!" Chris cheered. "Now let's go fix that idiot cook's mistake. This is SO coming out of his paycheck!"

"I don't think you'll be allowed to take money out of his paycheck after you forgot to give it to him during World Tour," Drew pointed out.

"I gave him the paycheck eventually," Chris argued.

"Even still..."

"Hey!" Cookie shouted. "Let's get a move on. We've got to go get that dragon before anyone gets hurt!"

"And before I get sued for endangering you all by owning a giant mechanical dragon!" Chris concluded.

**Confessional**

(Drew) So for now I'm stuck with my idiot teammate and the narcissistic, maniacal, pathetic excuse for a TV host who will most likely be the end of us. Plus, we're going after a murderous dragon. Life was nice... until life itself tried to kill me.

**End Confessional**

* * *

Sara continued to thrash around and scream at the top of her lungs as Georgia flew to the back of the castle. There, Sara spotted a large structure that resembled a bird's nest, only it was constructed out of twisted metal and stone. Sara was rudely dropped inside. "Ow!" she gasped in pain as she collided with the hard surface. "You're gonna get it!" she called to the dragon.

Georgia snorted, shooting black smoke into Sara's face, and then flew off.

Sara swatted at the smoke until it dispersed in the air. She then pivoted her body, searching for a way to escape. She found a net made of wire lining a small portion of the wall that looked stable and gripped it. Immediately, Sara pulled her hand back. "Ow! It's barbed!"

Sara held her hand tightly as she continued to look for a _safe _way out of the metal nest. She gave up, however. No way looked safe. She slumped down to the ground and held her knees to her chest. "I'm doomed."

**Confessional**

(Sara) So somehow a camera ended up in the nest. Cool. Anyway, my situation is pretty bad. First I catch my boyfriend making out with another girl... a pessimistic girl... a pessimistic Narwhal girl. Then, a dragon grabs me and dumps me in this hellhole. What has become of me? I swear Chris will get it when I escape... and then I'm coming for Kane...

**End Confessional**

Sara finished her confessional... and then began to cry.

* * *

"Um... Kane," Dalia spoke in a hushed voice.

"What is it?" Kane whispered back impatiently.

"Look," Dalia began, rubbing her arm sheepishly. "I'm... I'm sorry for the accidental kiss earlier."

"What were you trying to accomplish by trying to kiss Nathan?" he demanded in a hiss.

Dalia silently chuckled nervously, but then Gordon approached to her left and shot her a threatening glare. Turning back to Kane, Dalia answered, "It was... I just figured I could use him for something. For what, I have no idea. I just knew that it seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Well, thanks to you my girlfriend now thinks I cheated on her," Kane frowned.

"You can't blame me for you choosing to get in the way of us," Dalia countered.

"Urgh!" Kane growled. He stomped ahead of Chef and stayed a considerable distance in front of everyone. Dalia looked worried, but Gordon nodded in approval at her.

"Lover Boy and other boy!" Chef called to the two of them. "Where'd you leave your unconscious friend?"

"Oh, right! Axel!" Kane exclaimed as he realized he had stupidly forgotten his own teammate near where the dragon had attacked them earlier. He led Chef and the two remaining Narwhals to the exact location, where Axel was lying motionless on the ground.

"Someone should carry him," Gordon spoke, prodding Axel with his foot.

"Yeah, someone should," Chef agreed.

...

...

...

"Oh yeah," Chef said, blushing when he figured out why everyone was staring at him expectantly. He lifted the Platypus off of the floor and slung him over his shoulders.

They continued along their way.

**Confessional**

(Dalia) Did I just seriously say I was sorry? Usually I'd LOVE seeing my actions cause havoc with people's lives. Instead I actually feel... guilty. Why Kane, out of all people...? Oh wait. It's because I l...

(Gordon) Everything is going just as I planned... sort of. It actually worked better than expected. There's distrust in Nathan, and the dynamic duo on the Platypus side has been shattered. They'll lose the challenge and that will ensure one of them will go home today.

(Chef) All this drama is making me go crazy. I can see why Chris throws dangerous obstacles into the season. It's to distract the viewers from the corny love stories going on!

**End Confessional**

"Alright, we're here," Chef announced to the three teens as they halted in front of the door to the pillow-and-baseball bat-filled closet. The cook opened the door and then flipped two switches. One was for the light, and the other was to make a panel slide away to reveal a vast array of weapons.

"I can definitely use this longsword," Kane spoke as he examined the sword in question admirably.

"I could be like an assassin with those knives," Dalia grinned and laughed maniacally in anticipation of using the knives in combat.

"I'll take the wooden staff," Gordon stated. "It's deadly if you know how to use it properly."

"I'm very handy with a mace ball," Chef declared as he gripped his weapon and swung it around. It almost hit Gordon, but luckily he ducked before he could get clobbered by it. "Watch it!" Gordon yelled.

"My bad," Chef chuckled nervously. "It just reminds me of the old days when I participated in illegal gladiator matches."

"Who the hell are you, Chef?" Dalia inquired in disbelief.

"A force to be reckoned with," Chef replied simply. "Now let's move out!"

* * *

"So, I should try not to react harshly to nicknames?" Thorna asked for confirmation as she and Nathan walked along. They were aimlessly wandering the castle, and so they did not notice Chef, Kane, Dalia and Gordon entering the large closet next to them. They passed by without any interaction.

"That's correct," Nathan nodded. "Oh, and you should do one nice thing for everyone to get all of this personality-correcting started."

"Seriously?" Thorna complained. "What, will I have to give them massages and make friendship bracelets for them?"

"I like friendship bracelets," Nathan pouted, but then recomposed himself. "But ignoring that, you only have to do subtle things. Maybe say hi to someone and ask how they're doing, or help them if they're looking for something."

"All this nice stuff sounds rather boring and pointless," Thorna remarked.

"Just give it a try," Nathan pressed on. "I bet that soon everyone will come to love the new you."

A few seconds later, Nathan added, "Can we all you 'Rosa' instead of 'Thorna?'"

"You can, but I'd pummel you," Thorna responded.

"Remember what I said about those remarks," Nathan warned.

"Right, right," Thorna said, waving him off absently. "But still, there is no way in hell you're calling me Rosa."

**Confessional**

(Thorna) Transitioning from a Strict Chick to a not-so-Strict Chick has made me begin to feel like I've lost my identity. Granted, having no identity is perhaps better than having a bad one, but it's disorienting. I hope that the new me will still retain a little of the old me. For example, I'd like to keep my tendency to come up with witty remarks when necessary... or did I never actually have that ability?

**End Confessional**

* * *

Georgia returned from wherever she had been. She landed inside the giant nest, where Sara was lying on her back and staring up at the sky. "It'll rain later today," she told herself, but then jumped in fright as the dragon descended.

"Rawr!" the dragon roared.

"AAAAHHH!" Sara screamed. "Don't eat me!"

The dragon instead squatted in the nest for a couple of seconds, and then when Georgia lifted herself there were three large, white robotic eggs.

"How on earth can a robot have babies?" Sara asked herself in disbelief.

**Confessional**

(Sara) What's worse than one big, terrifying, flying reptile lurking in the castle waiting to eat you? Three big, terrifying, flying reptiles lurking in the castle waiting to eat you, that's what!

**End Confessional**

"I've got to get rid of those eggs somehow," Sara whispered to herself as the dragon took off once again. She first went up to the eggs and tapped on one of them. "It's surprisingly weak," she noticed. "I think I know what to do."

Sara found the barbed wire once again, but instead of climbing it she began to pull at it from non-barbed areas. "Come on! Come on!" she growled through clenched teeth as she tugged with all her might. One of her fingers grazed a barb, but she continued to pull until the wiring loosened and she tumbled backwards. Sara was now holding a wide entanglement of barbed wire.

"Perfect," Sara nodded in approval. She then crossed over to the eggs and threw the wire over like a sheet. It was big enough to cover the three eggs. Sara took a corner and trapped it between some twisted metal on the side of the nest. Then, she went over to the other side and grabbed another corner. "Here it goes," she told herself, closing her eyes as she pulled the corner further down.

The barbs immediately penetrated the eggs, letting yellow-and-white liquid ooze out. With more pulling the shells began to crumble, until they finally gave way as the entirety of the barbed wire net pierced through it. The fluids rapidly escaped and began flooding the whole nest, yet somehow none of it poured out on the sides. "Yes!" Sara fist-pumped the air. She then realized that she was floating in the liquid, and that she was very close to the surface of the metal nest. "Escape!" she realized. Sara attempted to climb up and over, but something tugged at her ankle, making her scream in intense pain. She dived into the egg fluid and saw that the barbed wire had somehow wrapped around her ankle. She tried to pull her foot through, but this only made the wire constrict it even further. She winced in pain and resurfaced, instead choosing to cling to the side for dear life. "HELP!" she cried desperately.

* * *

"So I'll let the dragon find me, and then run away so you can trap it?" Cookie asked for confirmation as she, Drew and Chris allowed Larry to take them through the castle.

"That's the plan," Chris told her. "I set up a place with a net of barbed wire just in case something like this every happened," he explained, "be it with Georgia or Larry..."

Larry gasped in shock.

"Just kidding," Chris giggled nervously. "You know I'd never hurt you."

Larry wasn't convinced.

"Don't you think we should find our teammates to make sure they're okay?" Drew asked the host as Larry turned a corner.

"I'm sure they're safe," Chris waved him off. "Besides, if we don't shut Georgia down, no one will be safe."

**Confessional**

(Drew) So Cookie's going to be the dragon bait? Works for me.

**End Confessional**

As Larry continued along, the two teens and host began to hear other people's voices. "Hello?" Drew called. They were facing a pitch-black corridor, so noone could tell who it was.

"What the...?" the voice responded. "Who is that?"

After a moment of waiting, Thorna and Nathan appeared from the shadows. "Chris!" Thorna exclaimed. "You bastard! What the hell were you thinking letting that thing run loose...!"

"I didn't do it!" Chris shouted at them. "It was Chef!"

"Okay, okay, not so loud," Nathan said, blocking his ears.

"You're really sensitive to loud noises, aren't you?" Thorna observed.

"It's always been that way," Nathan sighed sadly. "Anyway. Can we have a ride?"

"GRR!" Larry panicked as he saw Thorna trying to approach him.

"What? Is he scared of me?" Thorna snickered.

"Yes," Chris replied, rolling his eyes. "You aren't exactly the nicest person in the world."

"I'm kind of working on that," Thorna said through clenched teeth.

"The point is that he's a scaredy-plant," Cookie told her.

Larry huffed in offense, and to prove them wrong he reluctantly picked Thorna up and placed her on his back. Nathan was soon to follow. "Thorna. Here's your chance to be nice," Nathan whispered to her.

"Uh... okay," Thorna responded uncertainly. She examined Chris, Cookie and Drew. "Uh, Chris," Thorna spoke. "My, you have such a nice... chin."

Nathan, Drew and Cookie raised their eyebrows.

"Why thanks!" Chris said, flattered. "It's nice that someone notices how divine my chin is compared to the rest of my body."

Thorna rolled her eyes, but Nathan gave her the thumbs up.

**Confessional**

(Thorna) Maybe I'll just stick to the contestants, who aren't as full of themselves as our stupid host.

**End Confessional**

* * *

"Gordon," Dalia whispered fervently to her teammate as Chef flicked the lightswitches off and closed the closet door.

"What is it?" Gordon questioned her. "Is something wrong?"

"More like some_one," _Dalia corrected. "Since the kiss I've been feeling a little odd..."

"Oh no," Gordon smacked his forehead.

"Yeaaaaaah," Dalia stretched the word as she nervously glanced everywhere except directly at Gordon. "It's really weird, I know..."

"So without even liking his personality, you've got a crush on him?" Gordon queried.

"Actually, I haven't really thought about his personality," Dalia confessed. "I mean, sure I was mad about him grabbing my ankle during the royal revolution challenge, but later I thought it was pretty smart of him to hold me back. However, I haven't done a thorough thinking session about him."

"Then you probably should," Gordon advised her. "Or else it'll just be a one hundred percent hormone-based crush, and that just isn't right."

"What do you propose I do?" Dalia asked, giving her full attention to Gordon.

"Uh..." Gordon stammered.

**Confessional**

(Gordon) Whether Dalia likes Kane for his personality or not, two things are clear. One: she'll never be able to get him. Two: this means the end of trusting Dalia. The reason for number two is quite obvious. Dalia will let her emotions get to her from now on when Kane is nearby, which could mean a death sentence to the Narwhals. Plus, she might spill secrets to him, and tell him the secret that I was the one behind the whole kissing incident. Dalia, I'm afraid I'll have to dispose of you... unless I can use your crush to my advantage, he-he!

(Dalia) I'm not sure whether to fully trust Gordon, but telling him about a stupid crush isn't bad, right?

**End Confessional**

"How about you use this?" Gordon suggested, pulling a small booklet and pencil from his pants pocket and handing it to Dalia. "Simply observe Kane and write down his best qualities. If you can find a lot of them, or find some that truly mean something to you, then you're crush will be valid. Show me your findings towards the end of the day so I can help you."

"That's actually a really smart idea," Dalia spoke. She weighed the booklet and pencil in her hands, and then said, "Thanks, Gordon. I'm glad I can trust you."

"Anytime," Gordon replied, grinning innocently.

**Confessional**

(Gordon) This will ensure that I can at least get some information about the Platypuses' strongest member before I get rid of Dalia.

**End Confessional**

"Keep it moving!" Chef ordered Dalia and Gordon, shoving Dalia forward. She nearly stumbled backwards, but regained her balance before that could happen. "Hey! What the hell was that for?!"

"Remember the third challenge when you attacked me?" Chef asked. "Part of it was for that. The other part is just 'cause you're a terrible person in general."

"Whatever," Dalia rolled her eyes. Under her breath she muttered, "I'll get you back for that."

The four of them continued onwards in search for the dragon.

* * *

Sara clawed at the rim of the dragon's metal nest with her nails, but she couldn't get a proper grip. Sara treaded in the egg fluids, and as she did this the barbed wire dug harder into her ankle. "AAAHH!" she cried. "PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP ME!" she called pleadingly.

But it was no use.

**Confessional**

(Sara) While treading... (heavy breathe) for my life... (heavy breathe) I came up with poetry... (heavy breathe) 'Loneliness is drowning... (heavy breathe) in a pitch-black sea and... (heavy breathe) realizing that no on is... (heavy breathe) there to save you'. (heavy breathe) You know I'm doomed when I'm coming up with poetry at the brink of death... (heavy breathe)

**End Confessional**

* * *

"Hiya!" Chef did a samurai-like cry as he swung his maceball and it came in contact with a wall. Concealed behind it was an entrance to the Lame Labyrinth.

"You could've just done the brick-tapping thing," Gordon pointed out.

"No time," Chef explained. He stepped over the remains of the wall and helped the others over. "Don't worry. We won't take long. We'll reach the dragon soon enough."

Dalia and Gordon nodded in agreement, but Kane did nothing. His expression was as blank as ever. He stared off into space. Gordon and Chef advanced forward while Kane just stood there, staring off into space.

"Kane?" Dalia asked, genuine concern on her face.

Kane glanced at her, not showing any emotion, and then walked off swiftly. Dalia pondered over something for a moment, and then jotted down the word 'caring' in the booklet.

**Confessional**

(Dalia) Wow. Kane's expression looks like he witnessed a baby deer getting run over by a truck... I'm not sure whether to find this amusing or feel bad for him.

**End Confessional**

Axel woke up to find himself being carried on Chef's shoulder. "Wh... what the...?"

"Axel!" Kane exclaimed, speaking for the first time in about an hour. "Are you alright?"

"My head hurts like a b****," he grunted. "I'll be fine, though."

"That's good," Kane remarked. "We're gonna need all the help we can get to take down Georgia the dragon."

"You seriously think you can defeat that thing?" Axel asked skeptically.

"We have to," was Kane's only response.

Axel got to his feet and they all moved ahead. Dalia once again wrote words down in her booklet. They were 'confident', 'determined' and 'brave'."

* * *

Larry strolled along while the five people on top of him were lying on their backs, staring at the ceiling as they moved. "How will you be able to fix the castle?" Drew brought up absently.

"We have a special thing that'll do the job," Chris responded, slightly out of it like Drew. "And if that doesn't work, I'll fire Chef."

"Can I help with that?" Drew asked.

"What is it?" Chris inquired.

"I've noticed that at breakfast, Cookie's been getting food that looks slightly different from ours," Drew declared. "And apparently it tastes different, too, since Cookie simply can't help but shovel it down her throat all the time."

"Hey! Chef's nice!" Cookie argued. "He wouldn't do something like that. You probably just don't appreciate the flavor, that's all."

"I'll look into it," Chris told them. "This isn't something new. I know how to handle him when he misbehaves."

"Like making him nearly sweat to death in Africa?" Thorna snorted. "That's a great way to handle it," she commented sarcastically.

"And what do you propose I do?" Chris countered, but before Thorna could reply they reached a corridor that was split in two by the wall of barbed wire they chatted about earlier. "Here we are," Chris informed everyone as he introduced them to the trap. "Now all we do is wait for the..."

"DRAGON!" Nathan shrieked.

"Yes, Cookie, that's what we're do..."

"DRAGON!" she repeated.

Everyone turned left, where Nathan was facing with a terrified look. In the darkness of the hallway came two glowing yellow eyes. Then, the mouth that held the eyes came out.

"N-n-nice Georgia," Nathan held up his hands to represent peace. "We're not gonna hurt you."

Georgia roared, and the force blew Chris off of Larry.

"Yeah, but he's gonna hurt us!" Drew added. Cookie hurriedly got Larry to back away while Georgia crawled out of her hiding spot. Larry backed away until he felt the sharp pang of the wire wall behind him.

They were cornered.

"Jump!" Drew yelled in a panicked tone. Thorna, Nathan and Cookie obliged just as Georgia rammed into Larry, pushing the mutant plant straight into the barbed wire. It pierced through his body, and rendered the once giant, monstrous plant to green pieces of flesh and dark green liquid.

"LARRY!" Chris gasped.

Georgia's head snapped sideways to face Chris, who paled at the sight of the horrifying creature.

"McLean! Let's go!" Thorna growled as she threw a brick at Georgia. The dragon shook his head to get rid of the pain and then glared at Thorna angrily.

"I probably shouldn't have done that," Thorna admitted.

Nathan grabbed Thorna and Cookie and Drew grabbed Chris as they ran from the horrid behemoth gaining on them. Passing a corner took them to the kitchen, where they all cowered under a large table in the center of the room.

"This isn't going to conceal us," Drew pointed out.

Drew was correct, for Georgia turned her head and instantly spotted the five of them. She lashed out with her tail, splitting the wooden table in two. The five of them crawled out and grabbed whatever items they could, from frying pants to pots to spoons to knives, and began launching them at Georgia. A fork got stuck in her eye, and Georgia scraped it out painfully.

"We can't keep doing this forever!" Thorna yelled as one of her projectiles clanged against Georgia's forehead.

"Keep your weapons and run!" Drew commanded. They all evacuated the kitchen as Georgia ignited the room with brilliantly coloured flames, scorching everything within seconds. Cookie dropped the frying pan she was holding, and went back to retrieve it. However Georgia, being impervious to her own fire, exited the kitchen and came face to face with the Notorious Narwhal girl.

"A...a...a...," Cookie stammered in absolute terror.

A large meat knife sailed through the air and impaled Georgia in the ear. It fell out and sliced it clean off in the process.

"Drew!" Cookie exclaimed in relief as the sleuth appeared and gripped her wrist, pulling her towards the others.

"Don't destroy Georgia!" Chris scolded him.

"It's either her, or us," Drew argued. "Now come on!"

**Confessional**

(Chris) When the day is done, I'll be expecting some very hateful mail.

(Cookie) That's the second time Drew saved me. What would I do without him? (sighs dreamily)

(Drew) I think Cookie might like me.

**End Confessional**

* * *

Sara was growing increasingly tired as she treaded the liquid. Suddenly, she spotted a floating piece of the wire. Sara grabbed it at the non-dangerous edge and immediately tossed it over the side, gripping the tip tightly. The other end got lodged into the metal somehow. "That's buy me a few minutes," Sara said, out of breath. She moaned.

**Confessional**

(Sara) Kane... help me...

**End Confessional**

* * *

Kane fiddled with his longsword that was placed in a belt loop on his jeans. "How will we be able to get onto Georgia?" he questioned Chef.

"You'll have to climb her while she's not noticing you," Chef answered, his stare remaining straight ahead. "You'll have to keep quiet or she'll sense something's wrong and thrash around. Then you're screwed."

"Could I do it?" Dalia volunteered.

Kane gave her his undivided attention while Gordon and Chef just snorted. "Why?" Gordon asked her, chuckling. "Why would you be so stupid?"

"Because I wanna prove myself," Dalia began.

Gordon and Chef ignored her, but Kane was still listening.

"Uh... I want to prove that I'm not some random, weird chick who goes around being a total b**** to everyone," Dalia continued despite Kane being her only audience. "It might make up for my past misdeeds."

Kane didn't say a word. He stared for a moment longer, then walked away.

**Confessional**

(Dalia) (writing) Kane... is... a... good... listener.

(Gordon) If Dalia wants to risk dying, who am I to stop her. I doubt anyone will really grieve her death.

**End Confessional**

The group of four halted when they had arrived at the kitchen. Everything was coated with black ash, which was once the countless supplies that resided in the room. "What on earth happened to my kitchen?" Chef breathed.

"Georgia," Kane pointed out obviously. "She's probably nearby. Let's move cautiously. We'll sneak up and finally put an end to her. Then I'll find my girlfriend."

Everyone nodded. Dalia quickly scribbled down 'is a great leader' before hurrying after them. They were in a corridor littered with kitchen tools that were laid out across the floor or hanging from the ceiling. Some were even wedged into the walls.

"There's rumbling," Gordon noticed as he stopped walking to feel the ground. "Something big is moving."

"Look! Larry goop," Chef pointed at the revolting green slime on the floor. "And if we turn here there's..."

The shattered body of Larry lay a few metres away.

"Oh my," Dalia commented.

"AAAHHH!" a distant voice screamed. It was high-pitched yet manly.

"That's Chris!" Chef exclaimed in realization.

Axel pulled out the knife he found in his pocket. Kane readied his longsword and Dalia brought out her knives, as well. Gordon gripped his wooden staff tightly and Chef positioned his maceball so it was ready to use. Together they scrambled down the corridor, but a few seconds later they found that in front of them was Georgia. She was turning left, unaware of them, and disappeared.

"Ow!" Thorna shrieked in pain to their right. "I think I fractured my ankle!" She gripped it tightly and clenched her teeth. "Ow ow ow!"

"I guess that's karma," Chris snickered.

"Shut the hell up you stupid...!" Thorna began, but then caught herself. "I mean... you know what? I actually feel that you deserve it this moment... shut the hell up you stupid a**hole! You think you're all high and mighty just because I fractured my ankle but you're still a pathetic idiot who doesn't deserve to have happiness and certainly doesn't deserve to be the host of this show because of your moronic and terrible personality. I swear if I..."

"Thorna!" Nathan scolded her.

"Sure, Thorna. Whatever," Chris rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm loving all this drama," he professed, "but now's not the time. We have to get out of here and we have to get your leg fixed..."

"Wow, Chris, that's actually very nice of y..."

"It would be terrible if you couldn't produce more hilarious drama to get the show's ratings up," Chris finished.

"I feel so loved," Thorna remarked sarcastically.

"Uh... hi," Dalia spoke to grab the others' attention.

"Gordon! Dalia!" Cookie squealed with excitement and relief. She raced up to them and gave them a massive hug. "You're okay! You're okay!"

"SHH!" Drew shushed her. "Do you want Georgia to come back...?"

Sure enough, Georgia came back.

"As I've said multiple times before," Drew sighed, "let's run."

The host, the cook and the eight contestants scurried off (Thorna half-ran, half-limped) with the mad mech dragon behind them.

* * *

Sara was focusing all of her energy into her fingertips. "Must... stay... afloat," she mumbled, but she was as exhausted as ever.

Suddenly, her ears perked up when she heard human screams. "Help," she tried to call out to them, but her voice was weak and no one heard her.

"Dalia! Do it now!" Chef shouted to the Narwhal girl.

"Got it," Dalia nodded. She sprinted towards Georgia and leaped into the air, but Georgia slid right under her body and Dalia simply landed face-first on the ground. "You're not getting away from me," she growled, turning her head to stare menacingly at the beast.

Everyone, dragon included, arrived outside. Georgia turned around and bared her teeth at Dalia, who was charging towards her once more. Georgia lifted her tail and shot it right at Dalia. She side-stepped left, but instead of being pierced by the tail she was still thrown against the castle wall.

"Nobody messes with my teammate!" Cookie cried fiercely as she attempted to do what Dalia had failed to do before. Georgia raised her tail and in the process hit Sara in the head. She fell unconscious into the pool of egg fluid, and she slowly sank to the bottom.

"Sara!" Kane shouted, finally noticing her inside the metal nest. He rushed over to the dragon and climbed up its leg. Georgia didn't notice, but instead of taking the chance to destroy the dragon Kane dived into the nest.

The substance blurred Kane's vision a bit, but he could still spot Sara submerged. He swam over to her and tried to pull her out, but something was preventing him from doing that. He noticed a faint line near Sara's ankle and could tell it was wire. He placed the tip of his sword on the wire and pushed, breaking it and setting Sara free. Kane grabbed her tightly and resurfaced, spitting out yellowish-white liquid. He rolled over the side of the nest with Sara in his arms. "SARA! SARA!" he screamed at her unconscious body. He shook her, but it had no effect.

Cooke, meanwhile, had been headbutted by Georgia and knocked against the wall with Dalia, who was starting to recover. She howled with rage as she took on the dragon once again, this time with no fear. She made a giant leap into the air, avoiding the snapping mouth of the dragon, and clung to Georgia's back as she attempted to shake the girl off. Dalia flipped around and found the half-circle energy core Chef had told her about. With her knife in hand, she stabbed it.

Georgia paused mid-motion, and then collapsed to the ground.

Dalia slid off the side of the dragon and landed on the ground unharmed. She grinned smugly. "Who's the big, bad monster now, bitch?" she told Georgia before falling to her knees.

Everyone cheered and approached Dalia. Drew gave her a high-five while Axel patted her back, smiling. Nathan hugged her, but then remembered what she tried to do to him and backed away. Thorna hobbled over and grinned. "That was frickin' amazing," she complemented her. "You're a tough fighter."

"Thanks," Dalia replied, taking a heavy breath.

"That's a good start," Nathan approved as he walked away with Thorna.

"I still find it uncomfortable," Thorna admitted, "But I'll get used to it."

Cookie had regained her footing and jogged over to Drew. "Drew, you were awesome throughout all of this."

"Thanks," Drew responded uncertainly.

Cookie embraced Drew, and then kissed him fully on the lips. She giggled before cartwheeling away.

**Confessional**

(Drew) There is no way I'd EVER like Cookie. Ew, my lips feel dirty!

(Chef) I'm probably gonna get into a lot of trouble with the producers, and even moreso... with Chris.

**End Confessional**

Sara's consciousness returned to her. Her eyes fluttered open to find Kane leaning over her with a deeply worried expression. "Kane," she croaked.

"Sara!" Kane exhaled in relief. Tears streamed from his eyes, and his lips quivered from contained excitement. "You're alive!"

"You saved me," Sara continued. She coughed and winced in pain.

"Relax," Kane advised her. "Don't do anything right now. We'll help you get better."

"Kane," she choked out.

"Yeah?"

"...I'm sorry," Sara told him. She was now sobbing, too.

"I know," Kane smiled warmly at her.

**Confessional**

(Gordon) This is just perfect! Sara and Kane have reconciled, and Dalia is deemed a hero by everyone. I guess I should've volunteered to slay the dragon, instead.

**End Confessional**

"Alright, everyone!" Chris called to get their attention.

Chef and the nine contestants gathered around the host.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say that we've had quite a hectic day," Chris said. "The first order of business is for Chef to bring Thorna, Sara and anyone else who has an injury to the infirmary so they can be treated."

Kane reluctantly let go of Sara's hands as Chef lifted her up and carried her to the castle. Thorna limped after him.

"He'll be punished later," Chris assured the teens. "Now then. This day will still be considered a challenge day. Since Dalia was the one to defeat the dragon, I declare that the Notorious Narwhals win today's challenge."

The Narwhals cheered.

"This means that the Perilous Platypuses will be sending someone home," Chris continued. "And given the tons of drama that has happened, I say that this will be one of the most suspenseful eliminations we've had yet."

The remaining three Platypuses nodded solemnly. Everyone then entered the castle.

* * *

"So you're ankle's completely healed?" Nathan asked Thorna when she returned from the infirmary.

"Yep," Thorna nodded. "I can't believe it, either."

Looking both ways to ensure no one was eavesdropping on them, Thorna leaned over and whispered into Nathan's ear, "Thank you... for everything."

"What do you mean?" Nathan inquired.

"For saving me from my stupidity, for a start," Thorna explained. "For helping me see that what I was doing was foolish. Also, I;m extremely grateful for you believing in me despite everyone's misgivings about me. I definitely owe you one."

"Well... you're very welcome," Nathan replied, smiling happily.

Meanwhile, Dalia had finished up a conversation with Gordon and was making her way towards Kane. He was busy conversing with Sara, and it appeared that they had made amends. "Kane," Dalia spoke softly.

Kane and Sara turned their heads. Sara looked disgusted by Dalia's presence and left to go talk to Axel.

Dalia plopped down on the bed opposite of Kane's. "What do you want?" Kane asked.

"Kane... I'm really sorry about using Nathan and accidentally kissing you," Dalia confessed. "I don't expect you to forgive me or like me or anything but..."

"It's alright," Kane interrupted.

"...It is?" Dalia raised an eyebrow.

"I understand that you were simply using strategy," Kane elaborated. "I know you didn't intend for things to get too out of hand, and I definitely know you didn't plan on kissing me."

"By the way, you're a great kisser," Dalia commented jokingly.

"I don't think I even kissed back," Kane laughed. "But, anyway. Sara forgave me when I explained what happened, so now everything is more or less back to normal."

"Yeah. Normal," Dalia said doubtfully.

"Well... I'm going to go over to Sara," Kane spoke.

"Okay," Dalia nodded. "And again... sorry."

Kane nodded to her before standing up and going over to his girlfriend. Dalia stared longingly at him, and then pulled out her booklet and pencil. In careful letters she wrote, 'Kane's best quality: Understanding.'"

**Confessional**

(Dalia) I'm glad everything worked out, but I've still got this crush on Kane, which is now even larger now that I've realized I love his personality. This is great. Just one more complication getting in the way between me and him, and one more reason for Sara to despise me... I'm crazy, aren't I?

(Gordon) I got Dalia to show me what she wrote, and it was quite amusing to see what she came up with. It was also very insightful. I see that Kane is a big threat. If he makes it to the merge, his determination, compassion and leadership skills could ruin me. I'll have to do something about that, but for now I'll just enjoy the fact that my team's not going to elimination.

**End Confessional**

The wooden table in the center of the room vanished under the floor, and then a brand new table took its place. On it was an envelope. Kane went over to read it out loud. "'To contestants. I forced Chef to make a new table as punishment for giving Cookie good food.'"

"Lucky," Dalia muttered.

"Anywho, it is now time for the elimination ceremony. Perilous Platypuses must come down to the main entrance to decide who they're going to get rid of.'"

Kane set the envelope down and the five Platypuses exited the room.

"I won't bore you with the rules of elimination," Chris said as he greeted the Platypuses who had just arrived. "Please take a seat."

They did as they were told. Kane and Sara were holding hands. Thorna and Nathan were sitting comfortably beside each other. Axel looked relaxed.

"It's been a long, hard day, but we managed to survive," Chris began. "There were many arguments and fights over the course of the day, but in the end we've more or less pulled through. And now, it is time to reveal who will be staying for another day on Castle Madness."

Chris threw the first piece of gum to... "Axel."

Axel caught his gum.

"Sara."

Sara did the same.

"Now it comes down to the three who were most likely to get votes, and who DID get votes," Chris said. "The next person who's safe is surprisingly... Thorna."

"Phew," Thorna sighed in relief as she was given her gum.

Now was the moment of truth. Kane and Nathan looked at each other. "I know you weren't associated with the Narwhals," Kane told him. "Good luck."

"You too," Nathan replied. "It's too bad we can't both stay, but in the end this was bound to happen, right?"

Chris calmly announced, "The final piece of gum of the night goes to..."

-...-

-...-

-...-

-...-

-...-

-...-

-...-

-...-

-...-

-...-

"Kane."

Kane smiled as he got his piece of gum. Thorna jumped to her feet, infuriated. "How could you!" she shrieked. "Nathan was the nicest guy on the show!"

"Exactly," Axel responded. Thorna glared at him.

"I figured that Nathan just wasn't the best person to keep around," Sara shrugged. "Be thankful I think you're more useful than Nathan."

"I just went along with Sara," Kane explained. "I knew I didn't want to go home, that's for sure. That doesn't mean we don't hate you anymore, though."

"Thorna," Nathan called to his ex-teammate.

Thorna marched straight up to Nathan. "I'll avenge you. I promise."

"Thanks," Nathan blushed. "And remember to try and be nice."

Thorna nodded. Chef came in with Nathan's belongings. Nathan took them, waved goodbye and walked away.

* * *

"Well, that certainly put you on the edge of your seat, didn't it?" Chris told the camera. "Boy, what a day. Will Chef get the punishment he deserves? Will Thorna's team really believe that she has changed? Will Dalia continue to harbor feelings for Kane? And will Gordon continue to sabotage the game? Find out next time on TOTAL! DRAMA! CASTLLLLE MADNESSSS!"

**Confessional ~The Votes~**

(Nathan) Axel

(Thorna) Who do you think I'd vote for? Kane!

(Sara) Even if Nathan's innocent, I still remember how he protected Thorna. She's nothing but a giant ball of mean. Therefore, I'll get rid of Nathan so Thorna has no one to protect her. And besides, she could be useful in the future, AND she's been undergoing a little personality change from what I can gather. Hopefully it's for the better.

(Kane) I agree with Sara. Nathan should go. Thorna will be dealt with at a later date, though she has become calmer...

(Axel) Obviously I'm going to vote for Nathan. Thorna's next on my list, and I'll be sure to give her a humiliating defeat.

**End Confessional - End Results: 3 votes for Nathan, 1 vote for Kane, 1 vote for Axel**

**Perilous Platypuses: Sara, Thorna, Kane, Axel**  
**Notorious Narwhals: Gordon, Dalia, Cookie, Drew**

**Author's Note: **That was the most exhilarating TDCM chapter I've written. Even I was shocked by it. And now, sadly, Nathan is gone. At first he was just a filler character I made, but he ended up being much more and I've grown to love him. Nathan might not be on the show anymore, but he's still in our memories. If you'd like to vote him as your favorite contestant, the poll is still up. Also, I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed. You don't have to, but it's nice to see what people think.

Well, until next chapter!


	6. Laser Tag - CM Edition P1

**Author's Note: **Try to spot the multiple references to a certain awesome video game.

"Greetings, valued viewers," Chris waved to the camera. "Last time on Total Drama Castle Madness. I was knocked out by Chef, who then locked me up while he ruined the castle, knocked the other contestants out and released a giant, murderous dragon. Some were lucky and evaded capture, but others, specifically Sara, were trapped and brought to the dragon's metal nest. Sara destroyed the dragon's robotic eggs but ended up almost drowning in their fluids when she shattered them. Meanwhile, my beloved Larry was murdered by the dragon. In the end, however, Dalia had been our savior, defeating the dragon and claiming victory for the Notorious Narwhals. In the most suspenseful elimination to date, Nathan was eliminated."

"Five are out, but eight remain," Chris informed the camera thoughtfully. "Coincidentally, both teams have an equal amount of boys and girls. Plus, there's going to be a surprise guest this episode. Anything can happen today right here on TOTAL! DRAMA! CASTLLLLE MADNESSSS!"

* * *

Kane and Sara had slept in separate beds that night. It wasn't for any bad reason. Sara had simply said that she needed a little time alone to think about the past events. Kane didn't argue, but he could sense that there was something wrong about her.

Kane had risen to find that everyone was already awake and going about their usual morning routines. Cookie was cartwheeling around the room while Drew was inspecting bugs that scurried across the floor with his magnifying glass. Thorna glared at everyone while seated on her bed and Axel was adding drawings to his map of the castle. "There! It's done," Axel exclaimed, giving an approving smile at his drawing.

It was then that Drew passed by, absently shining his magnifying on the paper. The sun's light concentrated on a single point through the magnifying glass, and in a second Axel's map was on fire. "AAHH!" he screamed. He stomped on the flame and successfully put it out, but his map now had boot marks covering it. "Thanks a lot, Drew," he scowled.

"Yeah, yeah," Drew waved him off. "I have more important things to worry about then your map."

Drew walked away, leaving Axel to fume.

"He should seriously calm down," Kane remarked silently to himself as his gaze fixed onto Drew, who had found a silverfish. "Interesting pattern on the back," Drew noticed. "And I can see the legs in perfect clarity."

"Drew-ew!" Cookie called in a sing-songish voice. Her eyes wandered around until setting on Drew. She hurriedly rushed up to him and trapped the poor boy in a death hug. "Eeeeh!" she squealed with delight. "How's my wittle Drew?"

"Cookie!" Drew groaned. "I'm not some cuddly, cute teddy bear you can just tackle whenever you want," Drew complained.

"You're right," Cookie nodded in agreement. "You're even cuter than a cuddly, cute teddy bear."

"That's flattering and all, but..." Drew began, but was interrupted by the silverfish that had crawled onto his hand and flapped its antennae menacingly at Cookie. "Hm. It seems this silverfish finds you annoying, too," he observed.

The silverfish gave a tiny squeak of a roar, and then gazed affectionately at Drew.

"Oh," Drew commented flatly. "I guess you're just like Cookie."

The silverfish seemed to frown.

"I think I'll call you Crumble," Drew told the silverfish, who only blinked in response. "It's good, right? It represents your hatred towards Cookie."

"Why does Crumble get to hold your hand and I don't?" Cookie huffed, offended.

"Because he's tinier and won't crush my hand to death with excitement," Drew pointed out.

Crumble stuck its tongue out at Cookie before resuming the loving look towards Drew.

Kane stretched and gave a heavy yawn as he pushed the bed covers off of him and stood up. He crossed over to where Sara stood at the brand new wooden table. Kane leaned casually against it. "Hey," he greeted her, flashing a kind smile at her.

Sara glanced up and tried to give a similar smile, but she lacked any enthusiasm. "Hey, back," Sara responded.

Sara returned to focusing on the table, and this made Kane uncomfortable and concerned. "Sara..." he said, finally gaining the courage to speak up. "...I can tell something's wrong."

"Nope," Sara shook her head. "I'm fine, really."

"Sara, you know I can tell when you're not okay," Kane folded his arms knowingly.

Sara remained silent for a moment before caving in. "You're right," she exhaled. "I can't explain it, though."

"Do you have a reason to be feeling the way you are?" Kane inquired.

"I guess not, but..."

"Then why should you be feeling bad when you can feel good?" Kane questioned her.

"You're right, but it's not easy like that," Sara argued.

"Well, let's think about the reason you may be feeling a little down," Kane suggested. "There was the near-death experience..."

"Past that," Sara told him.

"Then the only other thing is the accidental kiss," Kane deduced as he looked into Sara's eyes for the answer. He found it.

"Sara, I told you already..." Kane said gently.

"It's just..." Sara blurted out. "I... when I saw you kissing her... I was heartbroken."

"But it was an accident," Kane reminded her.

"I'm well aware of that," Sara rolled her eyes. "However, it's not like you can just shake off that type of emotion. Once you feel it, it lingers, and I'm scared that I might feel like that again..."

"Sara," Kane began calmly but firmly. "I want you to listen to me." He put his hands on Sara's shoulders. "No matter what, I will never leave you for another person. I will always love you. You're the only person in the world I could ever imagine myself being with. You're the only person I truly trust, and who I am absolutely, one-hundred percent certain of that I want to spend the rest of my life with."

Sara stared at Kane for a few seconds, and then gave him a genuine smile. "I know," she replied. "And I feel the same way about you."

"So, I'll ask you once again. If you don't have a reason to be feeling down, then why should you feel down?" Kane repeated.

"I don't have to feel down," Sara answered.

"And there you go," Kane grinned.

"Ew, that's so..." Thorna commenced, but then thought better of it. "...nice. That's so nice. I'm happy for you guys."

...

...

...

Both Kane and Sara's jaws had dropped.

"What?" Thorna questioned them irritably. "Have you never heard a complement before?"

"From you, no," Axel answered, approaching her from behind. "That was surprisingly nice of you, which means that you're up to something."

"Can't a girl be nice for the sake of being nice?" Thorna countered. "If your brain weren't so dense then maybe you'd understand that..."

"So much for being nice," Axel snickered.

"I'll be nice to you when you're not a total a**hole," Thorna told him.

**Confessional**

(Kane) ...

(Thorna) I know, I know. 'Thorna' and 'nice' don't usually go in the same sentence, but they do now... sort of. I'll still crush everyone on my path to victory.

(Axel) I'll do anything to win. If it means getting rid of an uneccesary, weak or threatening player, I'll do it. Kane and Sara haven't proven to be bad competitors, but Thorna is just a pain. I still plan on losing the challenge again to ensure that Thorna goes home.

**End Confessional **

Dalia jotted down 'funny when not trying to be funny' in her booklet, and then flipped it shut. Gordon walked by and happened to notice her holding the booklet and pencil. "Have you gotten anymore words to describe Kane?" he asked her.

"Just a few," Dalia shrugged nonchalantly. She handed him the booklet and Gordon flipped it open. "'Persistent. Witty. Sexy?'" he read out loud uncertainly.

"Well, you've gotta admit, he is pretty hot," Dalia pointed out.

"True," Gordon admitted. "But he's still the enemy. There's no precedent for an inter-team relationship."

"You never know until you try," Dalia said.

Gordon just sighed heavily and shook his head.

**Confessional **

(Gordon) Well, it's decided. Dalia has to go before she becomes a problem.

**End Confessional**

"Alright, Platypuses! Assemble!" Thorna shouted firmly.

"Not this again," Kane moaned.

"I mean..." Thorna corrected herself, "I'd like to have a meeting with my teammates... god, this is annoying. I'd rather just be strict to you all."

"At least you won't be as weird as you are now," Axel pointed out.

Chris barged into the contestants' quarters wearing a bright, broad smile on his face. "Hey, everyone! I have an important announcement."

"Are you going to poison us and feed us to Larry?" Dalia said. "Oh, wait. Didn't he die?" she noted, grinning maliciously.

"Eh-hem," Chris faked coughing. "That was uncalled for, by the way. Anywho, I'm announcing that we have a special visiter here. It's...!"

The visitor in question stepped into the room, and everyone stared in shock.

...

...

...

"Mark?" Sara raised an eyebrow.

"Hi, everyone," he greeted the competitors. Mark hadn't changed in the slightest. Of course, it had only been ten days. Mark had the same glasses, messy black hair, dark blue eyes and sported his usual brown t-shirt with blue jeans and jean jacket.

"Ah, Mark," Gordon greeted the ex TDCM participant. "It's so good to see you."

Mark ignored Gordon, instead choosing to focus on Sara, Thorna, Cookie and Dalia. "Hello, ladies," he said in his usual seductive voice.

"Hi," Sara said simply.

"Hi," the others said, as well, without particular enthusiasm.

"Really?" Mark wondered aloud. "I'm not charming you in any way?"

"I have a boyfriend," Sara pointed out.

"I like Drew," Cookie stated, glancing at the boy in question who was sidestepping away from her.

"I never liked you in the first place," Dalia told him.

"You were never attractive," Thorna mocked, but then took it back. "I mean... I still think you're attractive, but not as much," Thorna admitted. "Sorry."

Mark frowned but didn't complain.

"So Chris," Kane began quizzically, eyeing his former teammate with confusion. "why did you bring Mark here?"

Chris replied, "Well, I figured that the viewers would miss some of the old faces, so I decided that from now on eliminated contestants would make special guest appearances in every episode." He then added, "It's only for those eliminated in the first challenge to the sixth one, which is today, so that means you'll get to see Toady, Liannea, Ifrena, Nathan and one of you once again in the season."

"Isn't that kind of dangerous?" Dalia pointed out. "I mean, what if they know secrets about the show and they told us?"

"Oh, don't worry about that," Chris chuckled deviously. "They all had to sign a contract stating that they wouldn't give any information about the show to you guys. If they did, we'd have to kill them."

"You're evil," Sara deadpanned.

"The contract sucks," Mark spoke, "Since I have a certain thing to say about a certain Narwhal..."

Chris kicked him in the knee.

Everyone just gave each other confused looks.

"Anyway," Chris strayed away from the topic. "I'll let you guys head down to breakfast so you can catch up with Mark. Also, be prepared to see something hilarious!"

And with that, Chris left the room.

**Confessional**

(Mark) When Chris first came up to me, I thought I'd get another chance to get into the show. I was wrong, which is bad because now I can't tell my team how I never betrayed them. Perhaps I could give them subtle hints. I'll know to increase the subtlety if Chris kicks me.

(Sara) That traitor! Who knows what secrets he gave the other team about us?

(Gordon) Phew. I thought for a second that he'd be allowed to tell his team about his innocence. Well, it appears that during the day I'll have to watch him closely. You never know when he might go against his contract.

**End Confessional **

* * *

The eight remaining contestants plus Mark were seated around the dining table. The castle had been entirely fixed somehow while they were asleep. They had asked Chris exactly how he did it, but he wouldn't give an answer. It didn't matter, in any case. As long as the ceiling couldn't crush them anymore, the contestants were fine.

Mark sat uncomfortably across from Sara, Kane, Axel and Thorna. "So... how have you guys been since I left?"

"Well, we had another traitor," Axel brought up. "Nathan was defending ol' Strictey here..."

"Enough of that stupid nickname, you brat!" Thorna snapped, but then corrected herself. "...I mean, a-ha-ha-ha, that's funny. You're hilarious."

Everyone at the table raised their eyebrows curiously.

"Oh, give me a break," Thorna rolled her eyes.

"So, Axel," Mark said, "did Nathan do any other traitorous things?"

"Well, we originally though he was working with the Narwhals," Sara told him as she reminisced about the last challenge. "But after discussion we realized he was innocent. However, he was still the weakest member of the team, so we voted him out."

"After discussion, eh?" Mark said thoughtfully. "You never talked to _me_ about the situation."

"Well, we kind of trusted Gordon on that one," Kane explained.

"But how could you possibly know the whole truth?" Mark inquired. "Plus, you don't actually know who Gordon is, do you?"

"Well..." Axel began, but was interrupted by Mark.

"And remember, I'm bound by a contract not to tell you," Mark pressed on. "Which means that Chris doesn't want me to say something about my time here, and what part of it was more significant than the time you heard Gordon supposedly rat me out as a traitor?"

"That is something to consider," Sara agreed.

"Hey! Mark!" Chris called to him. "I hope you're not disclosing any secret information to them."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Chris," Mark called back sweetly.

**Confessional**

(Mark) My team was presumptuous and weak. They automatically believed someone from the enemy team, taking what he said for fact without hearing the other side to the story... WITHOUT EVEN CONSIDERING IT MIGHT NOT BE TRUE! I hate every single one of them, probably even more than I hate Gordon.

**End Confessional **

He turned back to his ex-teammates. "Remember what I said," he advised them darkly. "It could mean the end of you."

He then hurried off.

Axel snorted. "I think we can all agree that he was lying."

"Uh..." Sara droned.

"It was an excellent strategic move to eliminate him," Axel continued matter-of-factly. "Anyone who is weak like him, who felt that he could trust the other team more than us, must be eliminated. Be it Mark, that idiot Nathan, or..."

He gave an accusing look to Thorna, who glared at him.

"Nathan was nice," Sara argued. "I felt a little bad for voting him out."

"He was a liability," Axel waved it off. "If we kept him his stupidity and niceness would destroy us."

While the Perilous Platypuses continued to debate over the matter, Kane was watching Dalia. He noticed her quickly glance away from him and write something down in a booklet she had. He was mildly curious, but figured it could wait until later. In the meantime, he watched Drew and Cookie talk.

"So Crumble will attack me when I try to touch you," Cookie deduced as the little silverfish tried to snap at her finger.

"That's pretty much it," Drew confirmed. "Thanks, little guy."

Crumble beamed. Cookie pouted.

Meanwhile, Gordon was sneaking up to a pillar that could conceal him from Chris and Mark, who were having a heated discussion.

"It is so unfair that I can't warn them of Gordon's evil!" Mark hissed to the host.

"You have a contract," Chris reminded him. "You'd ruin the entire show if you told them."

"This stinks!" he complained. He went over to the pillar and slumped down angrily.

Chris walked away, leaving Gordon a chance to chat with his victim. "Why hello, Mark," he casually greeted him, moseying over to where he sat and joining him.

"You!" Mark spat. "I have a major bone to pick with you. Firstly, I didn't stay long enough to attract any of the girls. Secondly, you got my team to believe I was evil!"

"And what are you going to do about it?" Gordon asked. "You can't tell them anything or risk getting beaten up by Chris and losing a lot of money. Plus, even you have to realize that what I did was purely strategy."

"That doesn't mean I have to like it," Mark countered. "And mark my words, I swear I will get my team to realize who you really are. Somehow, I'm going to make sure you never get to see another day on Castle Madness."

"We'll see about that," Gordon told him darkly.

**Confessional **

(Gordon) I'll have to do something to him that'll shut his mouth for good...

(Sara) I sometimes get the feeling that Axel is a very fierce person who likes having his way and thinks he knows better than everyone. I don't like it that much. Plus, I haven't seem him do anything special for the team at all. Even Thorna's contributed more.

(Mark) I think that out of everyone Axel will be the one most likely to listen. Kane trusts Gordon so he's out, and Sara probably still thinks I betrayed her and ruined the alliance. I have no other choice but Axel, then.

**End Confessional **

When everyone had finished eating (or rather, sat still long enough without touching the food so Chef thought they had finished eating), Chef came out to clean the table. Everyone gasped or screamed when they say him. "CHEF!" Cookie exclaimed. "Why do you have a deadly bomb strapped to you?!"

"It's a superpaint bomb," Chef corrected her. "If I do anything that goes against what Chris wants, it'll explode and I'll be scraping rainbows of paint off of me for weeks."

"Which means he can't hit me and lock me in dirty confessionals anymore!" Chris' voiced announced cheerfully from invisible speakers placed throughout the castle. "Alright, teens! I'm sending your envelope with the clue right... now!"

The dining hall table disappeared under the floor, and then reappeared with the envelope. No one tried to race for it or tear it to pieces. Instead, Axel simply walked up to it and gingerly held it in his hands. He tore it open and read the letter. "Where many things are found, you see, a secret door is bound to be."

Everyone thought about it for a moment, and then said in unison, "Warehouse."

As the competitors stood up to leave, Kane quickly glanced at Dalia, who was once again writing furiously in her booklet. Dalia wrote 'This stupid crush was originally hormone-based, but that's okay because that's kind of what most crushes start like. Anyway, the crush has now evolved. Kane is a pretty cool guy. I know I can't have the cake, but I can admire it from afar, right? ...Yum. Cake.'

Dalia pocketed her booklet and noticed Kane staring. "What're you looking at?" she asked.

"Nothing," Kane replied.

"Weirdo," she muttered before running off.

The contestants, Chef and Mark headed through many corridors, up and down countless flights of stairs, until they eventually reached the warehouse. "How did we miss this entrance?" Drew asked.

"I only built it today," Chef answered. "In case any scary, mechanical beast attacks you in there, there's finally a proper way out."

"Who the hell built the warehouse without a door in the first place?" Dalia snickered.

"Chris probably wanted to keep people out," Kane deduced. "Maybe he got in through that secret door we're looking for?"

Everyone moved on ahead to search for the door. Dalia flipped out her booklet and put 'sensible' inside of it. Kane noticed, but once again didn't mention it.

Gordon and Dalia had begun to search together. "How about we check inside the crates?" Dalia suggested. She lifted herself up onto a crate and pried the top of another one open. "What the...?" she said, cocking her head to the side. "Why are there so many outfits in here?"

"Those would be mine," Chef answered, blushing embarrasedly. "Now get away from there..."

Dalia pulled out a ballet outfit. "Is this for show or for actual ballet?" she chortled.

"I said get away from there, girly!" Chef bellowed.

"Alright, alright," Dalia replied in annoyance, closing the top. "Let's keep moving."

Drew was using his magnifying glass to search for anything on the ground that might indicate where the secret door might be. "Hey, Crumble," he whispered to the silverfish who was resting on his shoulder. "Could you go into that tiny space between the crates and search for a door?"

Crumble saluted and began the search. Drew tried to find him, but it was too dark with the shadows of the large boxes. "Find anything?" he asked.

Crumble made a series of noises that resembled someone trying to say, 'I just started, you idiot!'

"Right," Drew responded.

Cookie, meanwhile, hopped from crate to crate. She landed on the ground and found a tennis ball. "Ooh! A ball!" she exclaimed in delight as she picked it up off the floor. The second she did so, it activated a mechanism that, once making a clicking sound, made a silver metal cage dropped down from the ceiling, trapping Cookie inside. "AH! HELP!" she shrieked.

Chef rushed over to find Cookie. "Oh. I guess that's one of Chris' defense systems," he deduced as he pulled at the bars until they broke, allowing Cookie to escape. "There's some really secretive stuff here he likes to keep hidden. Some of it is dangerous, the other stuff is... inappropriate."

"Like some possibly offensive magazines and toys?" Dalia mused. She held her sides as she cackled at the thought of it.

"I will neither agree nor disagree to that statement," Chef muttered.

"Hey, guys!" Drew called to everyone. "I found the door!"

Crumble scurried out of the crack and returned to Drew's shoulder. Soon everyone had gathered around him. "It's between these crates. We have to move them aside."

"Perfect," Thorna grumbled, but then said, "I mean, yay! Let's do this!"

More staring and gaping mouths from her fellow castmates ensued.

"That has got to stop happening," Thorna remarked flatly.

The Platypuses and Mark moved one crate while the Narwhals and Chef moved the other. With only a minor struggle they were able to clear the way and found the secret door on the floor. Mark went over and opened it. A long staircase led to who knew where? "Ladies first," he insisted.

"Why, thank you," Thorna thanked Mark as she entered.

"Thorna's really changed since I've been gone, hasn't she?" Mark determined.

"Is Thorna actually... _nice_ today?" Kane questioned Sara.

"I think so," Sara responded, surprised at Thorna's behavior as well.

"Keep it moving!" Chef ordered as the Narwhals all entered through the door, followed by Mark and finally Chef.

**Confessional **

(Kane) I highly doubt that Thorna has changed. However, I have noticed that lately she's been more... tolerable. I'm still not buying it, though. It's probably just some scheme to become team captain.

**End Confessional **

* * *

The stairs were constricting and pitch-black, but there was no real difficulty with navigating them. Thorna took the lead as she evacuated the haunting staircase to find herself in a large, dimly lit area. "Woah," she commented in awe at the sight that lay before her.

The others soon arrived, and they also shared her amazement. The stairs had led them to a gargantuan, artificial arena with an elevated platform that held multiple levels, stairs, towers walls to hide behind and other structures.

To the contestants' left was Chris. "You've made it to the challenge area," Chris proclaimed enthusiastically to the competitors. "Today's challenge is just a nice, fun game of... laser tag!"

"Awesome!" Cookie exclaimed excitedly. "Who else is pumped up for the challenge?"

"Well, this'll help prove my unsurpassable fighting skills," Axel shrugged.

"I'm good at sneaking around and all that," Gordon threw in. "This is my type of game."

"Good," Chris nodded. "Now Mark over here will join you, except he won't actually be fighting. He'll just go around and see if anyone's doing anything that could lead to a fatal injury. Stuff like that gets blamed on me, and as a result my paycheck gets cut.

"Alright, people," Dalia stated firmly. "Try to cause as much damage to each other as possible."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Thorna smirked.

"Ha-ha, very funny," Chris replied dryly, rolled his eyes. "Your specially-designed laser tag vests will be found once you head into the arena. Laser guns will appear from the ground once you put it on. Platypus vest lights and gun lights will become purple while Narwhals will be green. Got it?"

"Can we shoot each other?" Axel questioned the host.

"I don't see why you'd want to, but yeah," Chris nodded. "So once again, got it?"

Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Then it's time to play Laser Tag – Castle Madness edition," Chris declared. "Three... two... one... go!"

**Confessional **

(Axel) Ha! Those pathetic Narwhals won't know what hit them. I'm a trained marksman. I can dispose of them with ease. Also, I'll make sure that Thorna goes down as quickly as possible so she doesn't get in the way... or better yet, make her out to be a terrible player...

(Thorna) This will be my chance to prove my true worth to the team. If we lose, I'm one hundred percent sure I'll be the one going home. If I do, though, I'll drop the whole nice personality and scream at them 'till their eardrums explode! ...That sounds like something Dalia would say.

* * *

Kane and Sara had taken off together and were heading up an inclined plane to a tall structure that resembled a watch tower. "We should be safe up here," Kane told Sara confidently, scoping the entirety of the arena they were participating in.

"Look! The vests," Sara pointed at the vests in question. She walked up to one of them and it radiated purple light. She slung it over her shoulders and adjusted the straps on the sides. Then, without warning, a small, circular portion of the floor opened up and shot out a laser gun, which Sara grabbed. "I could get used to this," she grinned mischievously.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look sexy when you want to shoot people?" Kane asked jokingly.

"No," Sara shook her head.

"Then I guess now's the first time," Kane smirked. He casually walked up to her and held Sara's hands in his. Both smiled at each other.

**Confessional **

(Sara) Kane says things that may not seem much to him, but mean the world to me.. granted saying someone looks sexy when they want to shoot people is bordering on hilarious more than it is romantic, but that's besides the point. I now know that we're truly inseparable, and that he really loves me. I haven't felt so confident about anything as much as I do about that.

**End Confessional **

* * *

Dalia had wandered off on her own. "Where can I get myself one of those vests?" she wondered as she scanned her current location. She pivoted her body and eventually saw something glowing a bright green from underneath a floor tile. Dalia lifted the wide tile and pulled out the Narwhal vest, placing it on herself and admiring it. "Nice," she approved.

The laser gun appeared from the floor and Dalia gripped it firmly. "Time to kick some Platypus butt!" she cheered confidently. "We'll crush them so badly they'll go into an eternal state of depression that will eventually lead to..."

No one was around to hear her rant.

"Maybe I should stop talking to myself and start hunting," Dalia noted. She noted that she was in a hidden underground maze similar to the Lame Labyrinth of the castle. "I can definitely use this," she told herself.

* * *

Drew (along with Crumble) and Cookie followed Gordon as he pressed on through the complex, searching for a vest. Drew whispered to Cookie, "Can I tell you something?"

Cookie nodded eagerly. "Are you going to confess your love for me?" she inquired hopefully.

"What? No," Drew shook his head. "In fact, I don't know why you even like me after I was mean to you during the orb search challenge."

"But you saved my life and proved that you weren't a total meanie," Cookie pointed out.

"Well, I still don't share the feelings you do," Drew concluded.

Cookie sighed sadly, but Drew ignored it. "Anyway. Back on topic: you heard about the Nathan and Dalia thing, right?"

Cookie nodded, trying to keep a solemn expression but ultimately failing.

"Dalia would never intentionally try to kiss Nathan," Drew explained. "Which means that she might've had a motive... or someone told her to do it because THEY had a motive."

"What are you getting at?" Cookie questioned him.

"I'm saying that I think Gordon is some evil mastermind and he told Dalia to do it," Drew answered. "It would make the Platypuses hate each other. It's an excellent strategy, and Dalia isn't someone who strategizes."

"So... we can't trust Gordon?" Cookie asked for confirmation.

Drew nodded.

Cookie gasped. "I can't believe it."

"_I _can," Drew scoffed. "I always knew that something was off about him. It sucks that I never considered to take action sooner."

"What do we do about it?" Cookie asked in a panicked tone.

"Relax," Drew advised her. "If we lose today's challenge, which I hope we won't, we'll talk Dalia into voting off Gordon."

Gordon stopped walking, and Drew and Cookie followed his lead. They had stumbled upon three vests. They all geared up and retrieved their guns, ready for combat.

"Wait up!" Mark called to the trio as he rushed over to them, nearly out of breath.

"Why are you following us?" Gordon asked.

"To keep an eye on you," Mark replied.

"Mark!" Chris yelled from across the arena. "I hope you're behaving."

"It's like he has telepathic powers!" Mark grumbled.

"Well, stay out of our way if you're going to stay," Gordon commanded him firmly. "We don't want any accidents occuring, now do we?"

"Of course not," Mark said sweetly.

**Confessional **

(Drew) Just like during the quest for the orbs challenge, I can sense something going on between Gordon and Mark. I have to find out what. It could help when I'm presenting my case to Dalia.

(Cookie) I can see that we're all getting along quite nicely... except for maybe Mark. What's _his_ problem?

**End Confessional **

* * *

"Has everyone found their vests and guns?!" Chris shouted from afar.

Thorna and Axel, who were in separate areas that were relatively close to each other, bent down to pick up their guns and cried out, "Ready!"

From the watch tower, Kane and Sara had been making out but stopped to yell, "Ready!"

Meanwhile, Dalia's muffled voice emanated from the ground. "Ready!"

"R-E-A-D-Y, we're gonna beat those Platypii!" Cookie cheered. She screeched excitedly, and Drew and Gordon frowned at her.

"Okay!" Chris yelled. "Once again, I'm counting down. Three! Two! One! ...GO!"

* * *

"Purple Perilous Platypus, Purple Perilous Platypus," Cookie sang merrily. "Gonna go and hunt some Purple Perilous Platypus. We're gonna eat Purple Perilous Platypus for breakfast, snack, lunch, dinner, dessert..."

"Keep it down," Gordon ordered her.

Cookie just kept singing.

While Gordon walked away in exasperation, Cookie whispered in Drew's ear, "You told me not to trust him, so I won't listen to anything he has to say."

"Stop singing, Cookie," Drew requested blandly.

"Okay," Cookie nodded swiftly.

**Confessional **

(Drew) The good thing about this crush is that Cookie's given me her total loyalty, which means that I can ensure she votes for Gordon with me if we lose... or when we lose, he-he!

**End Confessional **

The three Notorious Narwhals rounded a corner and still there was no one in sight. "Come on out, Platypuses," Gordon whispered. "We might as well get this over with."

"Alright," someone whispered back. Gordon froze in shock, and thus didn't have time to react when Axel jumped off a structure and knocked Gordon upside the head with his laser gun.

Gordon's breath escaped him when he hit the ground. "That was uncalled for," he growled through clenched teeth as he held his head.

"Well I'm definitely not going to shoot you," Axel countered. "I WANT to lose."

"Drew! Attack!" Gordon ordered.

Drew didn't obey.

"Drew!" Gordon complained.

Drew shook his head to Cookie while Gordon wasn't looking. "Uh... I'm frozen with shock?" he replied uncertainly.

"Hiya!" Cookie screamed mightily as she opened fire on Axel. A red spot of light kept flashing on his vest, but Cookie was a terrible aim, even up close. Axel backstepped, then backflipped to avoid more shots, and finally took shelter behind a nearby wall.

"Take this, you brat!" he roared valiantly, taking aim and firing, hitting Cookie with only one shot. Cookie's vest beeped and then vanished along with her gun. "Aw," Cookie sighed sadly.

"Cookie! Didn't you remember what I told you?" Drew asked, shaking his head in irritation.

Axel grinned, but it then faded when he remembered that he wanted to lose. "I'll just go," he informed the Narwhals.

Mark appeared just as Axel disappeared into the distance. "What happened?" he asked. "Is Gordon down?"

"Down, but not out," Gordon replied deviously, recovering from the earlier blow.

"Oh," Mark commented, disappointment evident in his voice.

**Confessional**

(Mark) By making seemingly harmless but not-so-good remarks about Gordon, people are sure to get suspicious of him.

* * *

"I must win this," Thorna told herself as she cautiously advanced through a maze of walls. "If I don't,

I'll be voted out. I have to win!"

Thorna covered her mouth and glanced around frantically, hoping no one had heard her. "Stupid Chris and his terrible challenges," Thorna fretted. "Laser tag? How original..."

"Quit complaining," a voice spoke from the darkness of a pathway to Thorna's left. Exiting the shadow of the walls was a person that was neither contestant, host, cook or Mark. He was tall, with seemingly metallic, dark grey hair, piercing grey eyes and sporting a slim red shirt and pants.

"Uh... who are you?" Thorna inquired, taking a cautionary step backwards in case the stranger turned out to be dangerous.

"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you," the guy assured her. Thorna, however, wasn't convinced.

"My name is TDRR1-ND," the stranger told her. "It stands for Total Drama Rampaging Robot – Non Deadly."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Thorna raised an eyebrow.

"Chris had us ordered in from a friend of his that created artificial intelligence. We're specifically for this challenge."

"Wait. _We?_" Thorna demanded incredulously. "There are more of you loony robot freaks out there?"

"That's offensive," TDRR1-ND frowned. "But yeah, there's more. Some are evil and some are not so evil, like me. We were programmed to either be like regular teenagers or vicious demons."

"Oh," was the only response Thorna could muster.

"Don't worry. I'm here to help you," the robot assured the Platypus. "Also, I feel that my name is too long, and that you'll grow tired of saying it. Therefore, you can call be Thomas."

"Uh, okay," Thorna shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm glad you're here. I'll need all the help I can get in this challenge."

"Why is that?" Thomas asked with genuine interest.

"Let's say I'm not the most liked person on my team," Thorna sulked.

**Confessional **

(Thorna) Cool. A powerful robot is here to help. Normally I'd just find it weird, but I won't mention it. I need Thomas. I could command him to defend me from getting hit by the other team... or Axel.

**End Confessional **

Cookie casually walked by Kane and Sara, who pointed their laser guns at her but lowered them when they saw she didn't wear the game vest. "You're out?" Sara noted.

"Uh-huh," Cookie nodded. "Axel got me. He didn't mean it, though. He wants to lose."

"Of course," Kane rolled his eyes. "But you know, perhaps we should stop focusing on losing to eliminate Thorna and instead simply try to win. That way the other team will vote off people that are probably worse than Thorna."

"Besides the part about people being worse than Thorna, I fully agree," Sara nodded. "Thanks for telling us about Axel, Cookie."

"No problem," Cookie smiled cheerfully. "Well. Good luck! I know you're not on my team, but you're so cute together as a couple it automatically makes me want to route for you."

"Oh. Well, thanks," Sara said.

"I wish I could say the same about me and Drew," Cookie sighed. She hunched her shoulders in disappointment and marched away.

**Confessional **

(Cookie) Drew has more good traits than bad traits. He thinks I'm annoying, but he also trusts me enough to tell me about his opinions on everyone. That's definitely a sign that he's at least mildly interested in me, right?

**End Confessional **

Dalia navigated her way through the underground maze. Neon lights lit up the otherwise pitch-black corridor Dalia was in, signalling where forks in the route and exits could be found. "No one will be expecting me! They'll be so surprised that they're heart will stop beating from utter shock and they'll collapse to the ground dead!"

Once again, Dalia was speaking solely to herself.

"This is boring," Dalia whined. "Who'd have though I'd ever want human company?"

As soon as Dalia said this, a voice echoed throughout the maze. "Is anyone there?" it asked in a helpless, innocent, child-like voice.

"Hello?" Dalia answered back. "Who are you?"

"Hello?" the person mimicked. "Who's there?"

"I kind of asked you first," Dalia pointed out.

"Hello?" the voice repeated.

"Okay, this is weird," Dalia muttered, but nonetheless readied her gun and jogged up the isle, turning left. She heard the voice coming from somewhere nearby.

"Are you still there?" the mysterious, child voice questioned Dalia.

"Yes," Dalia answered. "Where are you?"

Two bright red ovals flickered on in the dark hall. Then, a humanoid figure stepped out. It's hair and eyes were crimson red, and altogether the figure looked menacing.

"Attack," it commanded itself, holding up it's hands to reveal that its fingers had holes in them.

"Crap," Dalia uttered as the strange machine person began to shoot harmless lasers at her vest. She ducked and swerved out of the way. Pivoting her body rapidly, she began to fire back.

"Stop shooting!" the being cried in anguish.

"What the...?" Dalia asked herself, lowering her weapon to think...

"Hiya-ya-ya!" the machine shouted as it began to fire again.

"Your voice is so innocent, but you're creepy and evil!" Dalia yelled at the machine as she turned a corner and headed in the opposite direction of the machine.

**Confessional **

(Dalia) Chris is seriously twisted. Those things are pure EVIL! They use dark humor that's darker than mine! Acting all innocent, then firing... what the hell, Chris!

**End Confessional **

* * *

Axel heard many shouts of fury coming from the ground. He pressed his ear against the hard surface, but later regretted it as a hole opened up and swallowed him while Dalia rushed out obliviously. "I made it!" she cheered victoriously. "In your face, stupid robot...!"

"Target acquired," a similar childish voice spoke from behind her.

"F*** you, Chris," Dalia mumbled before dashing forwards without glancing behind her.

Meanwhile, Axel was recovering from the sudden fall. "Where am I?" I asked himself as he curiously examined his surroundings. His gaze fell upon a solemn human with glowing red eyes standing a few feet away. It lifted its hands and began to fire.

"AH!" Axel screamed, reacting swiftly and shooting the robot in the eye. It stumbled backwards, and then composed itself. "I don't blame you," the robot told Axel.

"Oh..." Axel responded. "I guess you're a nice rob..."

The robot once again opened fire on Axel.

* * *

Kane and Sara were holding hands as they crossed an open area surrounded by tiny, house-like structures. "This game is kind of getting boring," Sara admitted.

"I find that it's better than getting shot at by the enemy," Kane shrugged.

"True," Sara nodded in agreement.

A few more paces brought both of them to one of the structures. "There's a red light coming from that window," Kane noticed, glancing up. Though the building was small, it was rather tall, and the window was a good height above Kane and Sara.

"Lift me up," Sara insisted to Kane. "I bet it's the Narwhals. I'll take them out and they won't even know it."

Kane glanced nervously at the window. "Are you sure you won't fall?"

"I'll be fine," Sara reassured him.

"Well, it COULD be slightly dangerous," Kane prompted.

"So you're saying I'm weak?" Sara asked jokingly.

"Uh, no! No! I wasn't implying anything of that sort..." Kane stammered in a hurry.

"Relax, relax," Sara attempted to calm Kane down. "Just lift me."

"Fine," Kane sighed. "But if you do fall I'll say I told you so."

"If I fall it'll be because of your poor skills at holding people up," Sara pointed out, giggling. "Just joking."

Kane frowned, but nonetheless held out his hands to give Sara a boost. Sara reached the window with ease and used her hands to lift herself further up. "Okay. I've got a good view," Sara informed Kane.

"I believe that now would be the time a normal boyfriend would say, 'So do I,'" Kane chuckled.

Sara rolled her eyes at Kane's joking around. "Then it's a good thing you're not a normal boyfriend, or I'd be furious," she stated teasingly.

"Right," Kane nodded in understanding, feigning fright.

Sara continued to peer inside of the building. "I can't see anyone," she remarked as she scanned the dark interior. "Oh, wait. I see..." she began, hoisting herself up so the top half of her body could be seen through the window...

A series of loud beeps sounded off, and Sara's vest dinged, signifying that she was out.

"Crap!" Kane cursed as he quickly lowered Sara to the ground. It was then that a bunch of humanoid figures with glowing red eyes appeared from behind the structure.

"I did not see that coming," Sara deadpanned.

"Target acquired!" the horde of mysterious creatures chanted in unison. Kane grabbed Sara and bolted for the nearest wall to hide behind.

"You're out!" Kane shouted in frustration.

"Oh well," Sara shrugged as if it were no big deal, which it wasn't to her. "You'll have to go on without me."

"I know there's nothing I could've done, but I still feel it was my fault." Kane crossed his arms, angry with himself.

"No, no," Sara shook her head as she listened to the weird beings advance towards them, growing nearer and nearer with every second. "It was my curiosity that got me. Curiosity killed the cat... or contestant... or whatever."

One of the red-eyed things appeared behind the wall with them, but Kane shot at it with his laser gun. It hit the robot in the eye multiple times, eventually making it shut off.

"Go! Run!" Sara instructed Kane quickly, rushing away to exit the playing field.

Kane turned around and growled at the machines. "This is for getting Sara out of the challenge!" he cried, running out and shooting rapidly, catching the robots off guard. Before they could react, Kane had landed on a tile on the ground that disappeared from right under him, making him fall into the ground.

* * *

Gordon and Drew hurriedly turned a corner and ran. They were trying to lose Mark so they wouldn't have him making random comments about the Narwhals every ten seconds. They eventually succeeded, and the two Narwhals kept walking.

"That Axel will pay for what he did," Gordon grumbled dangerously as he and Drew continued to search for the other Platypus. "And then I think I'll go after Sara. You remember how she hit me in the second challenge, right?"

"Holding a grudge, much?" Drew smirked as they turned left at a wall to see if someone was hiding there.

"Not necessarily," Gordon argued. "They're threats that must be exposed of. Surely you want to make it to the merge without any competition to get in your way?"

"Yes," Drew answered, "But whenever you speak it's like you have some evil plot to violently eradicate your enemies. You always sound... angry."

"Well I'm certainly not going to have a stupid happy attitude like Cookie," Gordon pointed out.

"I'm just implying that you should tone it down a bit," Drew explained.

"You know what? ...I won't," Gordon replied, turning to face Drew. "I'll continue to have my current mindset. It's helped me get this far, you know. I've become the master of this game, being able to manipulate people at will. Like the Dalia -slash- Nathan situation."

"So it WAS you!" Drew exclaimed. "I knew it! You're a vicious, conniving villain."

"Woops." Gordon's eyes widened as he realized that he completely lost his nice facade. "I guess my arrogance brought this about. Ah well. What will you do about it?" he chuckled darkly, grinning. "I've already taken control of the team. Cookie and Dalia look up to me. Your measly vote wouldn't even be able to eliminate me out if we lost."

"Not unless I take back the control you gained," Drew countered, grinning the same confident grin as Gordon. "You've got yourself a rival. Cookie is devoted to me, and I'm sure even Dalia has her doubts about you."

"Rivals, eh?" Gordon asked. "Well, good luck with that. May the best manipulator win."

Drew didn't respond. Gordon walked away.

**Confessional **

(Drew) Me? Manipulator? ...I never thought about that. I guess I WOULD have to resort to manipulation in order to get rid of Gordon. However, I merely thought I'd just do what I was good at and be a detective during this, finding evidence that points out Gordon as a villain. Well, I'm sure I can do it. Soon Gordon will regret ever joining this contest.

(Gordon) I admit that I'm slightly cocky, but it doesn't matter. Drew has nothing on me... of course, there's Cookie, who's head over heels in love with him. Certainly she realizes that it's hopeless, that Drew absolutely detests her. I'll use that bit of fact to my advantage.

**End Confessional**

As Gordon continued onward, he began to hear a faint, high-pitched voice. With more focus he was able to make out what is was saying: _Hello? Hello?_ _Hello?_

"Hello?" the voice questioned Gordon, this time louder. The loudness of the voice increased until finally...

A leg stepped out from behind a building to Gordon's right.

Drew went up to the wall they passed, which was a few yards behind them. He hid behind it and took this opportunity to lock onto Gordon's vest.

**Confessional**

(Drew) I remember Chris saying we could shoot each other...

**End Confessional**

With one last glance to make sure he was targeting the right area, Drew gripped his laser gun tightly. He nearly pulled the trigger, but just then Gordon turned around and bolted towards Drew. Drew lowered his weapon and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Demonic robots, that's what," he answered swiftly, passing Drew and making his way to a space in between two of the structures. Drew hurriedly joined him there as the robots began to swarm out of another building, searching for the teens. "

**Confessional **

(Drew) I don't think Chris mentioned anything to us about evil, rampaging robots.

**End Confessional **

* * *

Axel wandered through the haunting maze with absolutely no sense of direction. "Where's the exit?" he asked himself. "I have to go find Thorna and destroy her chances of winning."

"Who's there?" someone asked.

"No! It's a robot!" Axel panicked. He lifted his weapon and pointed it straight in front of him, however it wasn't a robot that appeared.

It was Kane.

"Hi, Axel," Kane greeted his teammate casually.

Axel brought his laser gun to his side and went up to Kane. "Kane, do you know how to get out of here?"

"Nope," Kane shook his head. "Not a clue. I suggest we do so quickly, though. I've heard lots of robots while moving around."

"Got it," Axel nodded. "Maybe if we..."

"Oh, yeah," Kane interrupted. "While looking for a way to escape I found this tiny booklet." He reached behind his back and pulled it out. "I didn't open it, since I know it's Dalia's, and she's trying to keep it private."

"What?!" Axel exclaimed. "Kane, don't you realize what you're holding! That booklet could contain secrets about us that they could use to their advantage."

"I guess you're right," Kane admitted, "But I think I should show it to Dalia personally. I get the feeling she's been writing a lot about me, in particular."

"Then you must be a threat to her," Axel assumed. "But back to the matter at hand, give me the booklet."

"Rude much?" Kane commented. "I don't think you should have it. I feel you'll start yelling at the other team and just making a giant mess of things."

"You... you don't trust me with this type of information?!" Axel demanded in disbelief. "I'm the strategist here! I think I'm more qualified to have it than any of you weak people!"

"Excuse me?" Kane questioned him, crossing his arms. "How dare you!"

"Fine," Axel gave up. "If you won't willingly give me the booklet, I'm afraid I'll have to fight you for it."

Axel raised his laser gun and aimed it at Kane, but before he could shoot the ceiling opened up and Dalia fell right in front of Axel and Kane. "Ow," she groaned, standing up and dusting herself off. "Oh. It's the idiot Platypuses," she remarked disdainfully. "Have you been humiliated to the point where you want to kill yourselves yet? 'Cause I bet my team's winning by a..."

The two boys ignored her. Kane rushed out of the hole Dalia came in, and Axel followed. The two began to shoot at each other. Dalia exited the maze, as well, and instantly spotted her booklet in Kane's pocket.

"AAAAAH!" she cried as she opened fire on Kane, as well.

**Confessional**

(Dalia) Perhaps that wasn't the best way to handle that situation, but I began to panic! What was I supposed to do? Calmly walk up to him and politely ask for it back? I bet he's already read it! F***!"

(Kane) Axel has changed from an intelligent member of the team to a wild, untrustworthy one. He may be even worse than Thorna! You know a situation's serious when someone is deemed 'even worse than Thorna'.

**End Confessional **

The fighting continued. Kane rushed up a flight of stairs to another watchtower. It gave him an dvantage, being higher up than Axel. However, there was also Dalia shooting at him. He had to dispose of both of them, and quickly.

"Ah-hah!" Kane exclaimed. He found an extra vest, unused by anyone. He picked it up off the floor and flung it at Axel, who tried to duck but failed. Axel fell down the stairs and tumbled into Dalia, who also fell.

"You'll pay for that!" Axel roared. Kane began to shoot, but Axel held up the extra vest for protection. Now he had a safe way to go up and finish Kane off.

"Maybe not my smartest idea," Kane observed as Axel arrived at the, wielding the shielding vest and his laser gun. "Good night, Kane," Axel declared. "Everything I do is for the good of the team. I care about us."

"You have a funny way of showing it," Kane remarked as he gripped Axel's extra vest, tugged it out of his hands and threw it over the side. He then kicked Axel in the chest, once again sending him down the stairs on a painful trip to the bottom.

"Kane!" Dalia yelled.

Kane turned around to find Dalia holding her laser gun, which was pointed straight at him. "Give me the booklet!"

"Kane!" Axel cried, dashing up the stairs. "Give me the booklet!"

Dalia shot at Axel when he returned to the top. Axel still wasn't giving up, though, and charged at Dalia. Dalia just ducked, picked Axel up around the waist, and launched him over the side of the watch tower. He fell to the ground unconscious.

"Kane," Dalia spoke in a low, threatening voice. "Give. Me. The. Booklet."

"No," Kane narrowed his eyes. "How about instead, you tell me about everything that's inside the booklet. No one has to get hurt."

"That booklet is mine alone, and it's confidential, you moronic Platypus!" Dalia screamed at the top of her lungs. "You low-life bastard! You...!"

Kane squinted and thought he could detect tears in Dalia's eyes.

"Give me the booklet," she said once more. "I'll even make it easy on you. Give me the booklet, or you'll find yourself out of this challenge and unconscious at the bottom of this tower."

Kane and Dalia stood there, both motionless, both utterly confused as to what they would do if their enemy didn't listen to their demands.

**Author's Note: **I thought that after Ruins Of Madness, I would never make an extremely long challenge. I guess it was unavoidable, whether I knew it or not. Perhaps it's a sign that my writing is getting better? Anyway, I'll work on part two, and hopefully I can get it done by the end of the week, maybe even sooner. Of course, there's studying to do, and parties thrown by relatives to attend. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible.


	7. Laser Tag - CM Edition P2

**Author's Note: **Just in case you didn't know what video game I was referencing, it was Portal, and more specifically, the adorable-but-deadly turrets from Portal.

Chris, Cookie, Sara and Chef were standing at the entrance to the underground laser tag arena, Chef nervously glancing at the superpaint bomb strapped to his chest and Chris fixing his hair while looking into a hand mirror. "Wait. We're back?" he asked the cameraman.

The camera shook up and down.

"Oh!" Chris exclaimed, throwing away the mirror, which shattered on the ground. Chris cringed. "Riiiight. Maybe I should've just put it back into my pocket." Chuckling embarrassedly, Chris swiped the broken glass away with his foot before flashing a gleaming white smile at the camera. "Welcome back to Total! Drama! Castle Madness! Earlier today the contestants were greeted by a familiar face making a cameo appearance, Mark. Having signed a contract stating that he couldn't reveal secrets about the show he had uncovered during his time here, Mark found it difficult to inform his former teammates that Gordon had framed him on his final day. Luckily, I'm also around to stop him from spilling it. Anyway, afterwards I sent a clue on a brand new table hand-made by Chef Hatchet himself!"

"I got splinters in my thigh," Chef spoke up. "How the hell does that even happen?!"

Ignoring Chef, Chris continued, "The eight remaining contestants were led down to the warehouse, where they discovered a secret door that led to this giant underground arena. The challenge was a fun game of laser tag, and things quickly heated up between Axel and his team, as well as Drew and Gordon now that Drew has confirmed to himself that Gordon's evil. At the moment Dalia and Kane are having a face off as one probes the other for answers, and the other demands for her secret love journal back."

Chris snickered. "I never expected any of this from Dalia, did you?" he asked Chef.

Chef shook his head somberly.

"The battle is still on, and strangely I keep hearing these weird, child-like voices," Chris told the camera.

"Is anyone there?" one of the voices inquired from somewhere in the arena.

"What the hell is going on in there?" Chris asked the camera hauntingly. "Find out right now on TOTAL! DRAMA! CASTLLLLE MADNESSSS!"

* * *

**Confessional**

(Sara) I hope Kane's alright in there. It sounds like hell has broken loose, what with all the screaming and firing.

(Cookie) So I don't like Dalia and I can't trust Gordon. I guess Drew's the only one I have left... hey! What's crawling on my arm? ...Crumble? What are you doing here?

**End Confessional**

Cookie and Sara were seated next to the entrance, both utterly bored out of their minds with waiting for the challenge to end. "Why do you have a silverfish?" Sara asked as she caught a glimpse of Crumble sneaking into Cookie's sleeve.

"She's Drew's," Cookie explained as Crumble exited her shirt and began to throw punches into the air with its tiny front feet. "I don't think she likes me, but she certainly likes Drew."

Sara yawned as she gazed at the arena. "I guess you've got some competition."

Cookie giggled. "Drew would never choose a tiny bug over the joyful and lively me!"

Crumble jumped off of Cookie and raced over to Sara. Her antennae twitched and she climbed onto Sara's crossed legs, resting on her knee. "Hey, little guy," Sara greeted the insect. "I know what it's like to be in love, too, but thinking you have competition."

Crumble stared blankly at Sara.

"No matter what the situation may look like, sometimes you've just gotta trust the guy. After all, relationships are built on trust, and if that's not there it'll never succeed."

Crumble blinked.

"I learned that the hard way," Sara continued her speech to the insect. "I saw Kane making out with another girl on the floor. At first I was angry and didn't listen to him trying to tell me that I was the only girl for him. In the end, though, he saved me from a dire situation, and later he assured to me that we were inseparable. I realized I was foolish to think he'd purposely cheat on me."

Crumble turned to face Cookie with narrowed eyes, and then at Sara with inquisitive ones.

"Perhaps you should go in there and help Drew," Sara suggested to Crumble. "He might need you. And doing that would get him to see that you're the only bug he needs."

"But I'M the bug he needs!" Cookie protested.

"True that," Chef snickered as he walked by.

Crumble nodded gratefully to Sara and hopped to the ground. He scurried away in search for Drew.

"Hey! Wait!" Cookie called. "I'm the bug! I'm the bug!"

"That girl really _bugs_ me," Chris cackled. "Yeah, she really _ticks _me off. I just can't stand her _bee_ing around me. I should've told her to _buzz _off. If she were here I'd tell her to make like a fly and shoe..."

"The bug jokes really aren't funny," Sara deadpannded.

Chris stuck his tongue at her.

* * *

"Where are you, Gordon? You mischievous Narwhal," Mark muttered as he rounded a corner to find a person kneeling on the ground next to a contestant, which he recognized as Axel. "Uh..."

"Who's there?" the stranger asked, standing up to reveal glowing red eyes. The robot lifted its hands and shot at Mark, but the laser lights didn't do anything.

"Uh... okay," Mark scratched his head in confusion.

"Hey! Mark!" a female voice called to the ex-contestant.

Mark turned around to spot Thorna making her way towards him, with a robot in tow. "Thorna! Watch out behind you!" he yelled.

"Oh, Thomas isn't a threat," Thorna assured him as they came with a metre of each other. "He's actually quite nice."

"Greetings," Thomas shook Mark's hand. "I am Thomas, Of course, that's not my actual name, but..."

"Enemy robot," the evil robot noted, lifting its hands to fire.

"Take that!" Thorna cried as she lifted her arms and shot a single beam of light at the robot's eye. It screeched, and then collapsed to the ground lifeless.

"Splendid shot," Thomas congratulated Thorna.

"At least I can count on you to be my friend," Thorna told Thomas. "Unlike my team."

Mark found this opportunity to come up with a plan to tell Thorna about Gordon. However, it wouldn't exactly be directly to Thorna. "Thomas! May I talk to you."

"What is it you require?" Thomas queried as they walked a few feet away to speak in private.

"Do you know who Gordon is on the other team?" Mark asked.

"No, I'm afraid I do not," Thomas shook his head.

"Oh. Well, tell Thorna that Gordon got me eliminated and must be defeated. Please!" Mark pleaded desperately. "It's imperative that she knows."

"You can count on me," Thomas nodded.

"Look!" Thorna shouted to the two of them, pointing upwards. Mark and Thomas did the same, and what they found was Kane and Dalia in a standoff.

"Give me the damn booklet, Kane!" Dalia growled dangerously, narrowing her eyes and preparing to strike.

"What's so important inside of it that you need it so badly?" Kane demanded, readying himself for when Dalia tried something.

"I can't tell you," Dalia responded, and her eyes were now pleading. "But trust me, I don't think you want to know."

"This will continue to go on forever unless you reveal to me what's inside," Kane said.

Dalia took a shot at Kane, but Kane dodged it expertly and somersaulted over to Dalia, grabbing her and thrusting her to the ground. "Give me...!" Dalia attempted to grab the booklet from Kane, but he had a tight grip on both it and Dalia. He merely pushed her back down.

"Sorry, but the answer's no," Kane replied. He was about to shoot Dalia, but just then Thorna, Mark and Thomas arrived.

"Robot!" Kane gasped, immediately forgetting Dalia and taking the chance to shoot at Thomas.

"No!" both Thorna and Mark exclaimed. Thomas turned towards Mark and lunged at him. "Hey! What the hell...!"

Kane took aim and fired, watching as Thomas stumbled backwards and fell down the stairs. He was dead.

"Ha!" Dalia grinned victoriously as she gripped Kane's wrist with one hand and with the other stole the booklet back. "Gotta go," she informed everyone, sliding down one of the stair's railings to the bottom. She turned right and started to escape from the area, but halted dead in her tracks. "More robots!" she yelled to the others on the watch tower. "You're more annoying than if a mutated plant was hovering over me and trying to eat me, which happened to some people, just to let you know!"

Gordon and Drew darted straight for the watch tower as the horde of evil mechs chased after them, raising their hands and shooting their lasers. The two Notorious Narwhals managed to evade them and climbed up the stairs along with a petrified Dalia to where Kane, Mark and Thorna resided. "This is not good," Kane said as he witnessed the robots quickly advancing forward.

"Thanks for pointing that out, Mr. Obvious," Thorna rolled her eyes, but corrected herself. "I mean... yeah, this is looking pretty hopeless."

"I can't believe Thomas attacked me." Mark muttered. "Wasn't he supposed to be nice?"

"We're going to have to stick together," Drew informed everyone firmly.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the tower, Axel was regaining consciousness. "Ow, my head," he groaned in pain. "Wait. What the...?" he said, confused as he watched the mass of menacing robots head towards them. Axel's vest and laser gun had vanished into thin air, so he had nothing to protect himself with.

"I'm out of here," he breathed. He called to Kane, "I'll get you later!" before evacuating the arena.

"Drew!" Cookie called, searching for her teammate. Drew smacked his forehead in annoyance as she appeared from behind a building. "Hey, Drew! I'm... AH!"

She ran away, terrified of the robots.

"Hey, what's that tiny speck over there?" Drew asked himself. He squinted and instantly identified it as his beloved insect companion. "Crumble!" he screamed, terrified. "Watch out!"

Depressing violin music began to play as Crumble looked up at Drew, eyes glistening with affection, and then they widened when Crumble turned around. One by one the robots stomped by in a saddening, slow motion, black and white scene. In a frantic attempt to escape, Crumble found herself underneath the foot of a bright-eyed robot, who gave a disgusted look towards the insect before crushing him with his foot.

"NOOOO!" Drew yelled in vain. "CRUMBLLLLE!"

It was too late.

"Taste my laser lights of fury!" Thorna cried heartily as she rapidly shot multiple times at the approaching robot army. Everyone else did the same.

"Hey! Another gun!" Mark noticed as he walked over to where the extra vest from earlier had been. The laser gun was suspended in the air, and he snatched it quickly to defend himself.

One of the demonic robots had reached the stairs and began to move up. "Oh no, you don't, you irritating, unintelligent vermin!" Gordon growled ferociously.

"This is for Crumble!" Drew declared.

"This is for Thomas," Thorna whispered as she kicked Kane in the leg.

"What was that for?" Kane demanded.

"Nothing," Thorna shrugged nonchalantly.

Kane gave her a look but resumed firing.

The majority of the robots had now reached the stairs, and like their predecessor were shot down by the tiny dots of light that shot out of the contestants' laser guns. "This isn't going to hold them back," Drew pointed out. "When the enemy is attempting to crowd you in a corner, it's best to find a way to escape quickly. It's what you do in a murderer scenario, after all."

Everyone nodded in comprehension and entered the watch tower. They crossed the small space to the other side and one by one jumped off, landing on their feet at the bottom.

Chris' face appeared multiple times its actual size on the ceiling. "What's going on there?" he demanded crossly, but then his gaze diverted to the robots. "Where did those come from?"

"We thought they were part of the challenge!" Thorna shrieked, now beginning to truly panic. "Who the hell brought them here?"

"I'm not sure," Chris professed. "I'll get back to you in a minute."

The teens groaned and slumped to the ground, waiting for Chris to give them some answers. As they sat there, Drew saw two dark figures disappear behind a structure in the distance.

**Confessional**

(Drew) Their movements didn't seem like those of machines. I think I might have found the people behind this.

**End Confessional**

* * *

"Chef!" Chris called to the cook loudly, even though he was only a few feet away.

"Whadaya want now, Chrissy?" Chef inquired uninterestedly.

"Firstly, I want you to stop using nicknames or feel the wrath of your superpaint bomb," Chris answered. "Secondly, I need a computer."

Chef sighed heavily, but nonetheless reached behind him and pulled a laptop out of nowhere.

"I'll ask about how you did that later," Chris said. He unceremoniously grabbed at the laptop and opened it up, getting comfortable on the ground as he fervently pressed buttons until he got what he wanted. "Alright."

"What's going on?" Sara asked as she leaned over Chris.

"Someone brought rampaging robots into the arena," Chris explained, clicking on his mouse. The laptop screen showed the interior of the arena. "Ah-ha! This is where the core program that controls the entire facility is. Someone intelligent must have hacked his or her way into the system and set up a program that made the robots they brought in go berserk. In order to stop the robots, I'm going to have to reveal the large fortification underneath the arena that holds the core, and send the remaining competitors inside to destroy it."

"Wow," Sara remarked, impressed by Chris' intelligence on the matter. "You're actually pretty smart."

"And handsome," Chris added. "Don't forget handsome."

"I have a boyfriend," Sara commented flatly.

"And I have low self-esteem if I don't get compliments about my looks every ten seconds," Chris snapped. "I guess everyone has excuses for everything!"

Chris closed the laptop and pulled out the device he used to broadcast his face on the ceiling. "Attention, remaining challenge participants!" he proclaimed. "I have a solution to the robot infestation. Simply head into the large fortress in the center of the arena, and find the core. Destroy it, and you'll shut down the robots."

"What fortress?" Kane and Dalia asked. They got their answer in the form of loud rumbling.

Within seconds a tall, rectangular structure had emerged from the ground. It was surounded by a massive brick wall, heavily guarded by the robots, and a faint yellow glow that probably came from the core emanated from the entrances and windows.

"Well, let's go," Gordon motioned for everyone to follow him. "Hey wait a minute... where's Drew?"

Drew had abandoned his teammates a few minutes earlier and slipped behind a small building to remain out of site. "Where did you go?" he exhaled as he dashed foward and whipped his head left, then right. "Ah-ha!" he exclaimed when he spotted a leg disappear behind another building. Drew sprinted towards the building and found himself trying to grab onto something as he fell into the ground below him. "OW!" he cried when he landed on the floor, the hole closing above him.

Regaining his footing and dusting himself off, Drew continued his search, albeit with more difficulty navigating around. "There's way too many places they could be!" he complained, reaching a corner and heading right. It was then that an outstretched arm protruding from the wall grabbed him and pulled him into darkness...

**Confessional **

(Drew) I always knew this was how I was going to go. An evil mastermind capturing me, bringing me to his layer where he performs gruesome murders, making me watch as my loved ones which he captured as well are tortured so that I go insane... I've watched way too many movies, haven't I?

**End Confessional**

* * *

Drew woke up to blinding fluorescent light while tied to a wooden chair. He screamed, and a hand clamped over his mouth, effectively silencing him. After it released his mouth he said, "Who are you?"

"I'm sure by ze sound of my voice you vill recognize me," a female answered.

"I don't think anyone will recognize _my_ voice, though," a male responded, as well.

Two people appeared from behind Drew's back. They stood side by side in front of him as they removed black masks from their faces. Once they were off, Drew instantly knew who they were.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Drew demanded incredulously as Ifrena flung her mask away.

"Vell... I'll leave it to Toady to explain," Ifrena said.

"When Chris eliminated us, we never found a plane that would take us home or anything like that," Toady explained. "While wandering the grasslands we found each other. We both made our ways back here and vowed to destroy Chris somehow. Though the medieval era is my specialty, I'm also an expert at robotics. With Ifrena, who was also an expert, we managed to build an entire robot army with random metal junk Chris had lying around in the warehouse."

"What then?" Drew inquired.

"Well, we made one robot that wouldn't appear to be evil at first," Toady continued. "That one I made special. See, I saw Mark enter the castle this morning, and I immediately wanted to get revenge. So I sent the special robot into the arena in the hopes that it would get at him. It did, but failed when Kane shot it."

"Why did you want to get at Mark?" Drew asked, confused.

"He was a condescending, idiotic person, that's why!" Toady shouted. "In the first challenge I tried to show him that I was intelligent and what not, but his pathetically moronic mind thought I was just a dumb boy! In the end, he voted for me. I saw it on a tape I stole from Chris. I'm sure that others voted for me, too, but Mark is the one that stands out."

"Wow, you take things way too seriously," Drew observed.

"Zat's vhat I told him, as vell," Ifrena chuckled.

"We programmed the core to activate the robots first, of course," Toady informed Drew. "I see that Chris had discovered this. Now's the time to attack Mark."

"Meanvhile, I'll attack Chris," Ifrena added.

"And revenge will be sweet," Toady grinned maliciously.

"Okay..." Drew raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything about their plans. "So why am I tied up here?"

"We needed a contestant to serve as a messanger," Toady replied.

"Ve'll simply eliminate you from ze challenge and send you back to Chris to tell him about us," Ifrena told him. "Ve vant him to be very afraid. He will PAY!"

"And now, good night," Toady said as he went over to Drew's side, grabbed his laser gun off of the floor, and fired. Drew's vest lights blinked and died out. "Wow, that's so intense and painful," Drew rolled his eyes.

"We haven't even reached the fun part yet," Toady snickered before Ifrena pinched Drew's neck and he fell unconscious.

* * *

"AAAHHH!" Cookie screamed with a pitch that was unimaginably high and annoying. She ran full speed out of the arena and towards Chris, Chef and Sara. She came to a halt, panting heavily. "Chris! There's a bunch of robots and they're attacking everyone and they killed Crumble and it was terrible and they had glowing eyes and..."

"COOKIE!" Chris bellowed to get her to shut up. "We know. We're kind of working on it."

Axel soon arrived, jogging up to the host, cook and other two contestants. He glanced at everyone for a second before saying, "Kane is a total idiot."

"Excuse me?" Sara demanded, standing up and marching up to her teammate. "How so?"

"Your boyfriend had a book that contained secrets about us," Axel explained haughtily. "It belonged to the other team, and I tried to tell him how we needed it, but Kane had an idiotic idea to talk about it to the owner, Dalia. I grabbed at it but he fought me and escaped. I ended up falling off the side of a building and getting knocked unconscoious becaues of him!"

"Oh, that booklet of hers!" Cookie realized. "I know what you're talking about!"

"Do you know anything about it?" Axel questioned her hurriedly.

"Nope," Cookie shook her head. "She's always writing down stuff about you guys, though. I think she's a stalker, like that Sierra girl from World Tour."

"Cookie's more like Sierra than anyone, what with her stupidity and hyperactivity," Chris whispered in Chef's ear. They both laughed.

"Are you two lovebirds done mingling?" Sara asked Chris and Chef impatiently, "'cause I think we should be focusing on the current situation, what with the berserk robots and all."

"CHRIIIIIIS!" someone yelled from just inside the arena. Chris, Chef, Axel, Cookie and Sara watched as Drew stumbled out and tripped multiple times as he hurried towards them. "Attacked... captured... understand..." Drew spoke incoherently.

Chef grumbled and hunched his shoulders as he walked over to Drew and slapped him. "WE CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU, SOLDIER!"

Drew, now regaining his sanity, spoke. "Toady and Ifrena attacked me and captured me. They built the robots and let them loose. Right now Toady's going after the contestants to do something to Mark and Ifrena's coming HERE to probably kill Chris."

"AH!" Chris screamed. "What do we do?! I can't die! I'm a young, hot Canadian celebrity, for Pete's sake! I'M TOO IMPORTANT TO BE MURDERED!"

"Narcissistic bastard," Sara muttered to herself. "Eh-hem! I think we know what to do. Our only option is to battle Ifrena and ensure Chris' safety."

"Not that we'd ever willingly do that," Axel added. Chris glared at him threateningly.

"That's a good idea," Chef nodded in approval. "But perhaps we can do something a little more elaborate, like say... an ambush?"

Axel's eyes glowed in anticipation. "I like the way you think, Chef!" he grinned diabolically. "And Sara, you're intelligent, too," he added, "unlike Kane."

"I don't know what Kane did, but you'd be wise to not talk badly about him around me," Sara growled. "You haven't been the most likable guy these days, too, you know."

Before Axel could make a snide remark about her, Chris interrupted. "HELLO! My life is on the line, here! Get to defending me. Now!"

"Sheesh," Cookie huffed. "No need to be so mean!"

* * *

"Okay. Here's the plan," Gordon told the rest of the competitors. They were huddled near a structure that was in close proximity to the entrance of the fortress. "Mark and Thorna will take care of the robots that have set themselves up on top of the wall and at the entrance. Then Kane, Dalia and I will enter and search for the core. Got it?"

Everyone nodded in comprehension.

"I guess I won't be able to keep an eye on you," Mark said to Gordon while the other three prepared themselves to execute the plan. "Don't do anything sly while you're gone, or..."

"Or what?" Gordon hissed. "You can't do anything, and even if you do you'd only be jeopardizing yourself. I have everyone wrapped around my finger. I can easily convince them you're lying. The only thing that would happen should you give me away is that Chris will sue you for everything you're worth."

"We'll see," was Mark's only response.

"Ha-ha, let's do this!" Dalia raised her fist in the air. "We'll surprise those hunks of metal so badly they'll remain motionless as we trample them and crush their puny heads under our feet as we..."

"Dalia, save the dark humor for later," Kane ordered.

Dalia narrowed her eyes, but didn't have the heart to do anything more to Kane.

"You're seriously annoying, by the way," Thorna added.

As for Thorna, Dalia had no trouble elbowing her in the ribs.

"Are we ready?" Gordon asked.

Thorna, clutching her side, joined in as everyone declared, "Ready!"

"Then Thorna, Mark, it's time," he informed the two.

Thorna and Mark nodded solemnly as they left their hiding spot and placed themselves in position. "Hey, you stupid, annoying chunks of metal!" Thorna roared, flailing her arms to get their attention. "Prepare yourself for this!" she cried valiantly as she began to fire her laser gun at the robots on the wall. "How do you like rapidly blinking lights hitting you in the eye, huh? Not so good, I bet?"

"Please don't go crazy-battle-mode on me," Mark pleaded as he, too, fired at the robots. One by one they fell to the ground, creating a massive pile of lifeless machinery.

While the two of them fought, Gordon, Dalia and Kane readied their weapons and shot at the robots that were on the ground. The robots tried to lift their arms and prepare to retaliate, but the contestants were too quick. In seconds they had reached the pile of robots at the wall entrance. It provided them shelter and a moment to think.

"If anything goes wrong, Dalia should stay behind to take care of any threats while Kane and I move on ahead," Gordon told the rest of his group.

"Why me?" Dalia demanded.

"Because you're fiercer and will be better at it than me," Gordon replied simply.

While Kane climbed over the pile, Dalia asked, "So really, why me?"

Gordon sighed. "I don't want your emotions to get in the way of the challenge. I'm going to ensure that I'm the one who destroys the core. That should make us win the challenge."

"My emotions won't get in the way of anything, you little...!" Dalia began to complain, but Gordon had scampered off to get to Kane, who was at the entrance door to the fortress."

"...bastard," Dalia finished her sentence before going after him.

* * *

"Is everyone set?" Chef asked.

"Yes!" Sara, Axel and Cookie answered instantly in unison. The four contestants plus the cook were hiding behind a wall of boxes that Chef had gone to collect just a minute earlier. They were nervously anticipating Ifrena's arrival. Cookie glanced behind her to finc Chris in his designated position. When Ifrena would appear from behind the last building that would lead to them, she'd be able to have a perfect view of Chris standing a few feet away from the wall. "When she passes the wall, we jump at her, got it?" Chef questioned the contestants.

"Yes!" they replied, once again.

"That's 'yes, sir' to you!" Chef barked.

"Yes, sir!" the four teens corrected themselves.

The four of them once again began to wait. Chris was getting impatient, but that didn't surprise anyone. "My legs are getting tired!" he whined. "I'm getting dizzy! I want some lemonade! Get me some lemonade! I WANT LEMONADE!"

"CHRIS, SHUT THE HELL UP!" Axel bellowed.

...

...

...

"...Wow... short-tempered, much?" Sara commented.

"Someday you'll do it, too!" Axel snapped.

"Oh, Christopher McLean!" Ifrena's voice rang throughout the arena, as if she was simply playing a small kiddy game and not trying to murder someone. "Vhere are you? I vould like to speak vizth you!"

Ifrena's head poked out from behind a building, and she spotted Chris. "Zhere you are!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "I've been meaning to chave a little chat betveen you and me," she confessed, moseying over to the host.

Chris gulped in sheer terror. He stole a glance at Chef and the four teens, hoping they were ready to pounce. "And why would someone want to waste their time talking to me?" Chris asked, chuckling nervously.

Ifrena didn't respond, instead choosing to continue her advance. She went over to the wall of boxes and pushes it over, still walking forward, unaware of who had been hiding there.

"I'm going to kill you, Chris McLean," Ifrena told Chris. "I shall get revenge for what you did!"

"It's not MY fault you didn't find your plane!" Chris protested, but Ifrena had reached him and grabbed the host by the neck.

"Vell, zat's partially true, but... I still hate you!" Ifrena yelled ferociously.

"NOW!" Chef ordered. Before Ifrena had time to react Chef and Cookie had leaped onto Ifrena, holding her back from Chris by her arms. Ifrena struggled to free herself from their grasp, but it was futile.

"Hello, Ifrena," Axel greeted his old castmate with a swift punch to her face. Ifrena bared her teeth and whipped her head around to eye him.

"Vell, vell, Axel. Ve meet again," she hissed. "Zis is none of your business! Let me kill McLean and I'll spare all of you!"

"This is seriously starting to sound like a cliched scene from a movie I've seen," Sara professed.

"Ifrena, you meanie!" Cookie screamed at her ex-teammate. "You can't kill him! Chris is awesome! Albeit maniacal and narcissistic, but awesome nonetheless!"

"Yeah, and without Chris, how will we be able to continue participating on the show for five million dollars?" Axel questioned her.

"You care about the money more than me?!" Chris gasped.

"Chris, EVERYONE cares about the money more than you," Sara told him. "Except for maybe Cookie."

"And she's nuts, so she doesn't count," Chef added.

Ifrena bit down on Chef's hand, making him release his grip. Ifrena landed a kick on Cookie and her other arm was let go. Ifrena jumped into the air, somersaulted, and then extended her leg, preparing to kick Chris. Axel stepped in front of Ifrena and crossed his arms, deflecting Ifrena's kick. Ifrena instead used Axel, ricotcheting off of him and landing behind Chris. She jabbed at his neck and the host fell unconscious.

Axel raised his fists to fight Ifrena, but she simply shoved him aside. "I'm vay better at battling zan you!" she mocked the battle strategist.

"Axel, you're useless," Chef grumbled, standing up and staggering over to Ifrena. "You're mine now, crazy girl..."

Ifrena pinched Chef's neck, and Chef collapsed to the ground unconscious like Chris. "And now," she stated, whipping out a pocket knife, "you're dead."

"Argh!" Sara exclaimed with rage as she rammed into Ifrena. The spy-ssassin slammed roughly into the ground, but instantaneously regained her footing. She narrowed her eyes viciously at Sara, who took on a fighting stance...

Ifrena charged and jabbed at her neck, but Sara blocked it with her arm. "I guess those martial arts lessons when I was six are paying off," she remarked absently to herself as Ifrena kicked. Sara caught her leg between her hands and lifted upwards. Ifrena was flipped into the air, but she landed on the ground safely on her feet.

"I'm just gonna get this over with," Drew whispered to himself as he advanced towards Ifrena from behind, grabbed her neck in a similar manner she had done, and pressed.

Ifrena fell to the ground unconscious.

**Confessional **

(Drew) That'll certainly get me some points from my team. I just took out a deadly assassin... it was easy, to be quite honest with you. And now if I wanted to I could knock Gordon unconscious in a split second. All I have to do is repeat whatever the heck I did with Ifrena. Watch out!

(Chris) Wha... what the... what happened to me? ...Is my hair okay? Is it... is it messy? Oh god, I think it's messy! Ah! AHHHHHHH!

**End Confessional**

* * *

Dalia snickered silently to herself as she, Gordon and Kane entered the fortress guardedly. "Where do you think the robots are?" Kane uttered to the other two.

"THERE!" Dalia yelled, jumping in surprise when she spotted a group of robots marching towards them from the dark corridor ahead of them. They raised their hands and shot multiple beams of light at them. The three contestants swerved and ducked to avoid getting hit, while at the same time returning fire. In the end, the teens claimed victory.

"Ha-ha! In your face, you miserable a**holes!" Dalia cackled triumphantly. "They were so surprised by our assault that I bet if they were human they'd have pissed their pants from sheer fright and slouched away in utter shame for being so pathetically easy to beat.."

"Dalia! Enough of that!" Gordon barked fiercely at his teammate.

"No appreciation for good humor," Dalia muttered. She tsked at Gordon and stepped ahead of him, continuing towards their goal.

**Confessional **

(Gordon) So besides Dalia being a threat, she's also a pain in the butt.

(Dalia) (Writing) Gordon... is... a... total... bastard... (Closes booklet) I'm making a separate part of the booklet dedicated to the things I hate about my teammates. I've already written tons of stuff about Cookie. Drew, on the other hand, is considerably more bareable than the other two... although, he did leave me with a plant to die in a hole during a challenge. I'll just get my revenge over with at a later date and get on with my life. Oh, how I look forward to that day! Mwahaha!

**End Confessional **

The trio arrived at a seemingly endless spiral staircase that led into pure darkness. "Ladies first?" Kane suggested uncertainly.

Dalia sighed, rolled her eyes, and began the descent. The other three soon followed. Neither of them noticed Toady coming into the fortress and following in their direction.

**Confessional **

(Toady) Revenge is so close, I can practically grasp it. It is almost a tangible force rushing through the air, begging for me to reel it in and never let go! The world will tremble before my absolute might! Mwahaha! ...I'm beginning to sound more like a classic villain every day. Gotta work on that.

**End Confessional **

The stairs were hauntingly dark, and the three contestants had slight difficulty maneuvering through them. Dalia accidentally collided with Kane when he stopped walking. "What the hell?!" she barked irritably.

"Dalia," Gordon sighed, pointing in front of him to show the reason behind Kane stopping. Dalia looked ahead of her to spot a gigantic, circular room, with a wide, transparent dome at the center.

Inside the dome was a large, luminescent green sphere.

"The core," Kane breathed.

"It's so bright," Dalia remarked, "But when we're through with it it'll be nothing but a dying flame, symbolizing the future of the human race, the dwindling numbers of our species slowly going out one by one, until eventually the last sparks vanish completely from the face of the earth..."

"Is this a new form of dark humor you're using?" Gordon inquired, "Because I don't enjoy it."

Dalia grinned and chuckled knowingly.

"So how do we shut it down?" Kane asked.

"Oh..." Gordon stated. "You thought it would be 'we'. That's funny..."

Before Kane could process what Gordon's statement meant, the Notorious Narwhal kicked him in the chest. Kane clenched his stomach as he flew backwards, colliding with the dome and collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

"Was that entirely necessary?" Dalia questioned her teammate as he went over to the wall and pressed on something she couldn't see. A platform rose from the ground next to Gordon, and he jumped on as it lead to an upper level Dalia hadn't seen before. There was no railing to prevent anyone from falling off the side of the levitated area that formed a circle around the room above her. Gordon didn't seem to mind, however, for he confidently walked off of the platform and approached a lever. "I found the switch that'll kill the core," he informed Dalia. Gordon cackled victoriously.

"Is anyone there?"

"F***," Dalia muttered under her breath. She spun around, coming face-to-face with...

"Wasn't expecting that," Dalia whispered to herself.

A massive horde of robots had located them. Whirring and loud beeps, common robot noises, were being emitted from each and every one. They sounded furious at the fact that humans had entered their stronghold, and Dalia could tell that in a few short moments they would begin their rampage.

"DIIIIIIEEE!" Dalia shrieked, locking ont numerous robots and unleashing hell upon them with her laser gun. By the dozens they collapsed lifelessly to the metal floor, but it seemed that their numbers had no limits. They continuously flooded the room, and Dalia was forced to retreat behind the the other side of the dome. She grabbed the unconscious Kane and scrammed, sighing in relief at the newfound safety of the dome.

Then the dome lifted.

"Okay, so that's what the lever does," Gordon observed as the half-sphere of glass disappeared into its respective slot in the ceiling. "Huh."

"You're not helping, you brain-dead puppy!" Dalia barked at Gordon while simultaneously shooting down robots from behind the core. As she did so, she could spot a tiny green blur zig-zagging past them, eventually reaching the front of the group. Dalia gasped.

"It's the little weak pipsqueak from day one," she said silently.

"WHERE'S MARK?!" Toady bellowed. "WHERE IS MY PATHETIC EX-TEAMMATE?!"

"Someone's become a crabby toddler," Dalia snickered. "What the hell are you doing here, your Royal Shortness?" she called to Toady.

Toady snapped his fingers, and one of the robots rushed towards Dalia, exploding just a meter away from her and the core.

"Unless you want to find yourself in a thousand chunks of searing flesh clinging to the entirety of this room's surface area, then I suggest you hold your tongue," Toady advised.

"Hiya!" a female voice boomed from the stairs. "Take that, you stupid robots!"

Thorna and Mark bolted out of the robot mass unharmed, Thorna's vest still bright to signify that she was still in the game...

"ATTACK!" Toady commanded sharply.

Every robot turned to face Thorna and fired.

"You f***ing stupid machines!" Thorna cursed infuriatedly. The robots ignored her, picking her up and tossing her up the stairs. Somehow she landed at the top of the stairs. "Ow," she groaned, falling to the ground and staying there.

"You're next, you bastard!" Toady shouted angrily at Mark. "I hate YOU especially."

"What happened to that nice kid who dreamed of happily ever afters?" Mark asked, backing away as the robots cornered him.

"THERE WAS NEVER ANY NICE KID!" Toady roared, practically radiating an aura of rage.

**Confessional **

(Toady) Idiot.

(Mark) He was co cute and innocent on the first day. It was pathetic and made him look weak, but still...

(Dalia) I can't take it seriously when a tiny shrimp starts yelling at me.

**End Confessional **

"What's going on?" Kane mumbled as his eyes fluttered open. "What happened to me?"

"Kane!" Dalia exclaimed. "You were..."

Gordon shot her another one of his famous death glares from the platform, and Dalia gulped. "You...you were hit on the head by a robot. We're fighting a sh*t ton of them, now."

Kane shot straight to his feet and regarded the robots from behind the core. "Moronic robots," Kane groaned, holding his head when it began to throb once again.

Toady whipped his head around. "Two idiot teammates with one severe beating?" he noticed. "Alrighty, then."

He pulled out a remote from his pants pocket and pressed the large button on it that seemed to be common with remotes these days. Before anyone could react, the robots had assembled together. They merged to form one gargantuan, malevolent robot, with Toady on its head to lead it in battle.

"MWAHAHAHAHAHA!" he cackled evilly, pointing at Mark behind him to show the machine who its first target was. With an odd whir the mega-robot raised its arm and fired just as Mark jumped out of the way, leaving a metre wide and metre deep hole in the ground.

"You almost hit my face!" Mark yelled.

**Confessional**

(Mark) People say my vanity has gotten worse in the past few weeks. To them, I say, "You're just jealous because you know it's a universal fact you're ugly."

**End Confessional**

Toady continued his rampage. The robot began firing lasers in every direction, while at the same time avoiding the core. Gordon leaped off of the platform as a laser beam shot straight through it. The giant mech then proceeded to target all four of the teens, who had grouped together at the core.

"Get away from here!" Dalia ordered Mark, Kane and Gordon. "I'll be the bait."

Before anyone could argue, Dalia grinned malevolently and charged at Toady's beast. The robot swiped at her, a mere flick of its gigantic wrist sending her into the core. As Dalia recovered, the robot advanced towards her and lifted its laser.

"No, you fool!" Toady shouted at his creation. "Don't fire! Don't...!"

Dalia rolled out of the way as a laser beam escaped the robot's palm, penetrating the core.

* * *

"What's that rumbling sound?" Cookie asked. Her head jolting up as a devastating explosion occured, its thundering boom making her ears ring.

"DUCK!" Chris shouted in panic as searing chunks of metal and rock erupted from the center of the arena, pouring down upon them. Sara, Axel and Chef covered their heads. Cookie dragged Ifrena behind the wall built earlier, to join Chris. Drew, sadly, couldn't avoid a chunk of metal in time, and got hit in the shoulder. "Ow!" he yelled. "That hurt!"

Suddenly, everyone could spot 5 specks hovering in the air. They enlarged as they got closer, and finally everyone could recognize them.

"AAAHH!" Thorna, Mark, Gordon, Dalia and Kane all shrieked as the landed roughly on the ground. They all regained their footing and dusted themselves off.

"Kane!" Sara called, rushing up to him and hugging him. "Are you okay?"

"Never better," Kane rolled his eyes. "I only got caught in a potentially life-threatening explosion and blasted hundreds of feet above the ground, nearly getting hit by tons of rock and twisted, flaming metal while at the same time falling to my possible demise."

"Where'd that come from?" Mark raised an eyebrow.

"It's...it's nothing," Kane sighed. He groaned, and then looked at Dalia with disdain.

**Confessional **

(Kane) I seem to be finding myself more entangled in messes that usually inolve Dalia directly to a certain degree nowadays. Plus, I still don't know what's in her 'precious' booklet... oh, who cares now? I'm exhausted!

(Toady) I fell along with the rest of them, but I managed to escape without anyone noticing me. I swear that I will get my revenge somehow! One way or another, Mark and the rest of the Platypuses will PAAAAAYYYYY!

**End Confessional **

"So what exactly happened?" Chris inquired. "I see that the core is dead, given the tons of metal I nearly got crushed by!"

"We had a fight with a ton of robots," Thorna explained.

"Toady and Ifrena both worked on them," Drew spoke up.

"They all combined into one giant hell-beast," Gordon continued.

"Dalia volunteered as bait to make the robot shoot the core," Mark said.

"And so in the end, I saved everyone's asses," Dalia concluded, grinning her trademark arrogant grin.

"I see," Chris nodded in understanding. "Well, in that case, I hereby decree the winners of this challenge to be... the Notorious Narwhals!"

Cookie, Dalia, Drew and Gordon cheered for their victory.

"But uh," Chris added, "Where's Toady?"

Everyone looked around, and then back at the wreckage of the fortress. "He must've escaped somehow," Gordon deduced.

"When I find that little bastard, he'll be sorry his mother ever gave birth to him!" Dalia growled, narrowing her eyes.

"He almost shot my face off!" Mark whined.

"Oh, yeah, Mark," Chris brought up. "How was everything? I hope you didn't reveal anything to anyone..."

Mark turned to shoot daggers at Gordon, who merely waved joyfully at him. Mark then faced Chris once again. "Nope," he responded. "I behaved. I definitely did NOT tell anyone about anything regarding certain PEOPLE that may or may not be EVIL and..."

Chris pulled out a remote, pressed the large button on it, and Mark was shot straight out of the arena, through a hole in the ceiling and far, far away from the castle.

**Confessional **

(Gordon) Sucks to be Mark.

(Drew) I now understand what Mark has been trying to tell us. Gordon is a conniving, strategic villain. I've still got my plan to persuade Cookie and Dalia to join me in voting for him. I just hope they don't get to them first.

(Dalia) You know, I think my stupid crush on Kane might be dying down a little. I mean, I still have feelings for him, but now I'm confident that I can successfully enjoy watching him get hit by a hard object and stuff like that. The old Dalia is back, b****es!

**End Confessional**

* * *

The Perilous Platypuses sulked back to the bedroom, where they plopped themselves down on their beds. "So...tired," Thorna moaned.

"How are YOU tired?" Axel asked her, prompting Thorna to sit up. "You were the weakest, most pathetic person out of all of us! You should be ashamed for what a poor game you played there..."

"ME?!" Thorna bellowed. "You were the one who turned on your own teammate, and then was easily taken out by the other team. If anything, YOU'RE the one who should be ashamed."

"Come on, guys!" Axel pleaded to Kane and Sara. "You can't honestly believe that Thorna is worth keeping over me?"

"You attacked me," Kane pointed out. "I have reason to want you gone."

"You attacked my boyfriend," Sara added. "I have reason to want you gone, too."

"But Thorna's been a pain in our behinds since day one," Axel countered. "She hasn't changed."

"Haven't you seen that I've been trying to change?!" Thorna questioned Axel, leaping off of her bed and prodding him sharply with an extended finger. "Perhaps you're just so f***ing obsessed with eliminating me that you've completely lost it! Some battle strategist." Thorna rolled her eyes and returned to her bed.

"Make a choice," Axel told Kane and Sara. "The Strong, or the Lying?"

Axel exited the bedroom, leaving Sara and Kane to glance at each other with worry.

**Confessional**

(Kane + Sara) Uuuhhhhhh...

**End Confessional**

* * *

The Perilous Platypuses finally reached a decision, and after entering the confessional bathroom to cast their votes, they walked down numerous flights of stairs to reach the entrance. The drawbridge was open, and Chris was standing behind the usual podium.

"Platypuses, welcome!" Chris greeted them as the four contestants sat down. They noticed an unconscious, tied-up Ifrena next to the host. "What's with that?" Sara asked.

"She'll have a special departure from my beloved castle," Chris smirked with anticipation. "Now then. Shall we move on to the votes?"

The four of them didn't respond.

"Okay, then," Chris began. "You all put up a decent fight, and in the end some of you managed to save my show from the idiot ex-contestants, Toady and Ifrena. However, one of you must leave tonight." Examining the teens, Chris continued, "The first person to recieve their gum is... Kane."

Kane squeezed Sara's hand in reassurance before going up to get his gum.

"The next person who's safe is..." Chris went on, "...Sara."

Sara raced up to Kane and hugged him before claiming her gum, as well.

"And now, it comes down to Thorna and Axel," Chris announced solemnly. "Thorna, I have no idea what the heck is going on with you, but I don't want to know."

Thorna huffed in offense.

"And as for Axel, you've seriously been putting yourself over the edge nowadays, dude," Chris told him.

"All for a good cause," he stated, glancing disapprovingly at Thorna.

"You both put up a good fight," Chris said. "In the end, however, the last person to get a piece of gum is..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

Thorna."

"WHAT?!" Axel yelled in utter rage, jumping to his feet with lightning speed and marching up to Kane and Sara. "How could yoooouuu?!"

"Thorna's been... calmer lately," Kane explained. "Besides, you heard me earlier. I don't approve of your anger and your willingness to turn against your teammates."

"Bye, Axel," Sara waved indifferently. "It was nice knowing you."

Chef entered the foyer with a grumpy expression on his face and paint covering every inch of him. "I finally got the paint bomb off," he informed everyone. "However, it exploded a second afterwards."

Chris snickered, and Chef just moaned. Ignoring the host, the cook went over to retrieve Ifrena. He then went over to Axel and picked him up, as well. With a mighty toss, Axel and Ifrena were shot out of the castle and into the horizon.

"Congratulations on becoming the final three for team Perilous Platypuses," Chris proclaimed. "Your opponents have one more person. Better step up your game if you're going to win."

Kane and Sara nodded before leaving. Thorna's gaze followed them out, and afterwards she left, too.

* * *

"I'm not sure how shocking that elimination was," Chris admitted, "But all I have to say about it is this... Axel was dropping the ratings, and I'm glad to see him go." The host motioned for the camera to zoom in. "Are the Perilous Platypuses screwed? Will Gordon's evil ways ever be exposed? Will I find that little rat, Toady, and blow him up with one of the countless paint bombs I own?"

"F*** you, Chris," Chef mumbled from off-screen.

"Find out next time on Total! Drama! CASTLLLLE MADNESSSS!"

**~Confessional: The Votes~**

(Axel) My idiot teammates have not gotten rid of Thorna yet. This alone proves that I am the only one worth keeping. Now I just hope they realize what an evil monster Thorna is and eliminate her.

(Thorna) Axel's truly the Thorna-In-Our-Side nowadays.

(Kane) Sara and I both agreed...Thorna's now tolerable. Also, Sara truly believes that she's changing, so who am I to not go along with her? Anyways, goodbye, Axel!

(Sara) Thorna, I don't know how you've done it, but you're convincing me to keep you. So long, boyfriend-hitter!

**End Confessional**

**End Results: 3 votes for Axel, 1 vote for Thorna**

**Perilous Platypuses: Thorna, Kane, Sara**

**Notorious Narwhals: Drew, Gordon, Dalia, Cookie**

* * *

**Author's Note: **I greatly disliked Axel. At first he was just a non-important, slightly arrogant player who wasn't even that good at the game, but then he evolved into this fully arrogant, rude guy who's sole mission was to eliminate Thorna. He must've been doing something right to make it where he did, though, like using his team's hatred of Thorna to control them. It was a good thing Nathan was around to begin the rebellion against Axel and change Thorna, otherwise he probably would've stayed much longer. All I have to say is good riddance!

New poll is up. Who do you think will win Castle Madness?


	8. The Medieval Mystery

**Author's Note: **This chapter is longer than most and slightly emotional. Just warning you.

"Welcome back to another action-packed, suspenseful episode of Total! Drama! Castle Madness!" Chris exclaimed with excessive joy to the camera. The cameraman exhaled a sigh of disapproval at the host's enthusiasm. Chris glared at him for a moment before returning to his cheerful facade. "Last time on Total Drama, the contestants were greeted by a familiar face, Mark. They were then given a clue that led to an underground laser tag arena. The challenge was tough, and somehow two little brats that were eliminated a while ago set up an army of robots that wanted to kill me. I sent the contestants into their stronghold, where Kane was knocked unconscious, Mark was nearly killed, and Dalia got the mega-robot to destory the core, thus winning the challenge for her team."

Chris snickered, looking more giddy by the second. "Today's challenge will be a little bit different from others. To put it simply, it involves an evil knight, a cruel host leaving his contestants for dead, and a whole lot of fear-inducing, pants-wetting, and overall highly mentally-scarring moments!"

The camera zoomed in on Chris' diabolical expression. "Who will survive today's episode? Find out right now on Total! Drama! CASTLLLLE MADNESSSS!"

* * *

"Christopher Charles McLean died early in the morning. An intern that worked for him on the television show Total Drama Castle Madness found the host in bed with a slit throat..."

Chef mumbled to himself as he tapped on three different bricks three times. The entrance to Chris' Quarters revealed itself, and Chef walked through it to find himself in the kitchen. "...Sources say that the cook was the one to have performed the slaying, but results gathered from the investigation at the crime scene are inconclusive..."

"Chef?" Chris inquired in sleepy puzzlement as he entered the kitchen, opening his fridge and pulling out a platter of sushi. "What are you doing?"

Chef halted in his tracks, eyes widening, for he did not know Chris was awake so early in the morning. "Uh...I was just...I was going to make sure your hot tub was working this morning," he responded, chuckling nervously. "I know how annoyed you get when your water is below near-boiling point."

As he said this, Chef hid the knife he was holding behind his back.

"Well...thank you, I guess," Chris repleid, shrugging indifferently. "It's nice to see you've finally realized that my glory must be carefully tended to daily. I may just give you a raise."

Chris smiled before heading back into his bedroom, shutting the door. Chef let out a sigh of relief before deciding to abandon his current mission. He had a challenge to be a part of.

* * *

Liannea and Nathan approached the open drawbridge that allowed passage between the castle and the other side. They both looked over the side to witness at least a dozen crocodiles swimming around in the moat. "Why did we have to come back here?" Nathan moaned.

"I know, right?" Liannea agreed, jumping back when a crocodile snapped at her from below. "I was, like, so not excited to be coming here again after all the hell I was put though. Dalia was, like, such a meanie...I forget the rest of my team, but they were meanies, too!"

"Remember!" the pilot called from the plane that brought them in. "If you give any hints about any secrets, you'll be sued!"

The plane flew away.

"What secrets could we possibly have?" Nathan wondered as he and Liannea crossed the drawbridge. "Everyone already knows that Dalia tried to kiss me and Axel was a bad person. I don't have any secrets."

"Me, neither," Liannea nodded. "In fact, I, like, didn't even stay long enough to GET any secrets, you know? Like, talk about a major waste of time."

The two ex-competitors reached the foyer. The podium and stool seats were empty since it was the morning. "Wasn't someone supposed to greet us?" Nathan asked himself aloud as he examined the interior of the castle.

"Beats me," Liannea replied with a shrug. "I'm, like, so thirsty right now, though. I'm just gonna go find the kitchen. Hopefully Chef will, like, have some water or someth..."

As she spoke, Liannea didn't notice the shadow that moved rapidly along the wall, disappearing before either of them could notice it. Then, without warning, a black hand protruded from the shadowy wall next to her, pulling her into the black.

"AAAAHHHH!" Liannea screamed, kicking about to try and avoid getting sucked into the darkness. "Nathan! Help me!"

"AAAAHHHH!" Nathan yelled, wanting to panic but knowing he had to help his friend. He rushed up to Liannea and grabbed her arms, pulling her back with enough force to pose a challenge to the black hand. However, another hand reached out from the floor and grabbed him, too. The duo of horrified ex-contestants disappeared.

* * *

The three remaining Perilous Platypuses had woken up earlier than most of the Narwhals, the only exception to this being Dalia, who appeared to have only woken up a few minutes before them. "'Sup, Pee Pees?" she greeted the opposing team with a snicker.

"Stuff a radioactive sock in it," Thorna snapped, huffing indignantly and passing by without giving her a second glance.

Sara passed by, retaining total vigilance that began the moment she spotted the Notorious Narwhal girl. "Hello," she stated coldly as she passed by, holding hands with Kane.

"Hey," Dalia addressed Sara nonchalantly. "Hey, Kane."

"Hi," Kane waved with slight nervousness. "How are you?"

"Terrible," Dalia professed simply, "but what else is new, right?"

"Let's go, Kane," Sara insisted, tugging at Kane's arm gently. Kane held up his hand in farewell before letting Sara lead her out of the room to follow Thorna.

"I don't like her," Sara stated blandly.

"Why?" Kane inquired curiously. "I thought you were over the kiss..."

"The kiss between YOU and her, I'm over," Sara nodded, but then added disdainfully, "...but I don't trust her. She was definitely planning something when she kissed Nathan two challenges ago."

"Actually, she seems pretty harmless," Kane argued plainly. "If anything, she was just trying to toy with him."

"Still...something's off about her, or at least, the other team in general," Sara noted uneasily, pivoting her head slightly to glance at Dalia within the corner of her eye. She pulled Kane left after seeing that she was observing them. "They give off this weird evilness. I don't like it."

"Hello!" Thorna called impatiently to the duo. "Are we going to have that discussion as a team, or should I just leave you two lovebirds alone to make-out to your heart's content?"

"Bleh," Sara cringed. Kane rolled his eyes at Thorna, but nonetheless the two of them headed over to join her at the entrance to a stairwell.

"Alright," Thorna remarked in satisfaction as her two other teammates joined up with her. "Let's talk about our team. Now, I know we've had some differences..."

"Many," Kane said monotonously.

"I admit, many," Thorna nodded. "I also admit that I was partially the cause of most of it."

"It was mostly you," Sara pointed out.

"Shut up," Thorna replied swiftly. "Anyway, I just wanted to confront you guys about it, because the truth is...I'm sorry."

"Say what," Kane raised and eyebrow and lifted his head to focus fully on Thorna.

"I feel that I owe you a proper apology, which I probably should've done earlier, but I guess now's a good time," Thorna explained. "I'm sorry for being such a terrible, strict person to you. I was immature, overly demanding and attention-hungry. I started to realize I was wrong during the whole dragon challenge thing, and now I'm regretting my childish behavior."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as the three of them reminisced about the challenge.

"Anyway, to sum it up...I'm sorry," Thorna concluded. "I promise to be less harsh and controlling...although I do expect to be heard sometimes."

"I can agree to that," Kane nodded. "Thank you for the apology, Thorna. I guess I completely misjudged you."

"Yeah, well," Thorna smiled smugly, "I still think you're a punk and I'm better than you."

"Figures," Kane shrugged.

* * *

**Confessional**

(Thorna) Apologies just sound so wrong coming from my mouth. I'm usually the one to automatically blame another person. Even though it's usually other people at fault, I'm afraid I'm not as perfect as I thought I was... I'm still awesome as hell, though, and don't you forget it!

(Kane) You know, I'm starting to regard Thorna in a more positive light than before. She's learned the error of her ways and is striving to change herself for the better. Her personality still isn't exactly pleasant, but as I've said a few times before, she' become tolerable, at least.

(Sara) It bugs me that Kane acts so casually with Dalia, like they're friends. Firstly, we're on different teams, so that's totally uncalled for. Secondly...well, I just don't trust her, and I can't believe that Kane is okay with her. Snap out of it, Kane! Please! The Narwhals are nothing but trouble.

**End Confessional**

* * *

As the Platypuses talked, Gordon awoke from his deep sleep and rolled out of bed. He stood up and stretched, spotting Dalia lingering at the entrance to the room, an ear protruding out of the doorway to eavesdrop on something. "What are you doing?" Gordon asked inquiringly, crossing the distance between them to join his fellow contestant.

"Just listening to their conversation," Dalia answered, not bothering to give Gordon any of her attention. She wanted to catch everything the Platypuses said. "I'm doing strategy, kind of like what you do."

"It IS smart to eavesdrop," Gordon agreed. "Well done."

* * *

**Confessional **

(Gordon) I'm now starting to notice that both Drew and Dalia are beginning to use simple strateegic methods. I'm not liking this. Drew's planning on getting rid of me, and if he gets Dalia then she'll be able to understand that I'm a threat. Dalia's more useful, and since I accidentally admitted I was a manipulative strategist to Drew, I must do everything in my power to eliminate him.

(Dalia) The Kane crush thing is dying down, but I think it would still be cool to get to know them. At the very least, if we don't become my friends then I can get information about the Platypuses and use it to my advantage. Look at me, being a smart player! Victory will be mine!

**End Confessional **

* * *

"Thanks," Dalia said in response to Gordon's compliment. She abandoned the door and stretched her back. "Well...I'm going to go get breakfast. Anyone else?"

"Food!" Cookie yelled ecstatically, unexpectedly awake already. She threw her covers into the air and leaped out of bed with excitement, rushing up to the other two. "I'm starving! Let's eat!" Cookie began to leave when she remembered her final teammate. "Drew! Come on!"

"Ooohhhh," Drew groaned. "Let me sleeeeeeeep."

Cookie cartwheeled over to Drew's bed and started shaking him. "Come on, Drew! We need to eat to have energy for the day, for energy helps you run and cartwheel and jump up and down excitedly..."

"I'll leave all that to you," Drew told Cookie, tiredly sitting up in bed. He rubbed his eyes, and then noticed Gordon staring at the two intently. He narrowed his eyes.

"Alright," Drew gave in, not diverting his gaze. "Let's go."

* * *

**Confessional **

(Drew) I have to get a move on with Dalia. If I let Gordon get to her first, then I might find myself in a tie with Gordon, and I don't like my odds in that situation. No, I must begin strategizing now. Gordon, you're going down!

(Cookie) I just love Drew so much! He's funny and mildly sweet and not angry ALL the time. I've forgiven him for being mean to me earlier in the season.

**End Confessional**

* * *

Drew let Cookie guide him to the door, where he stole another look at Gordon, who was still eyeing them in an odd, studying manner.

"To breakfast!" Cookie shouted valiantly, dragging Drew, who was picking up dust as he skid on the floor. Gordon chuckled at this before he and Dalia followed. Dalia waved innocently at Kane and Sara. Kane offered a smile, but Sara's eyes squinted suspiciously.

Dalia turned to face forward and quickened her pace.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Dalia) Oh...she feels threatened by me for some reason. Ah, well. I can't help that. She'll just have to learn to suck it up, or else she'll constantly feel miserable, like a senile old widowed woman reminiscing about her husband who died in a fatal car crash many years ago and realizes that she is doomed to live alone for the rest of her life...okay, even I'M making myself uncomfortable with my dark humor.

**End Confessional**

* * *

The two teams were joined in one large group as they descended the stairs to get breakfast. "I'm starving!" Dalia groaned, holding both her hands to her stomach. "If I die of starvation I expect someone to sue Chris for me."

"I will," Thorna volunteered. "Chris is seriously asking for it by trying to kill us with the crap Chef makes us." She then added, "I hope someone would do the same for me."

"I'd rather get trampled by a rhino wearing metal-studded boots," Dalia retorted in disgust.

"Thank you, for sucking a bit of my patience and happiness away," Thorna stated sardonically.

As the seven hungry teenagers entered the dining hall expectantly, they sulked at their sad discovery. Chef was nowhere in sight, and the long, fancy table was empty.

"The first time I actually WANT his disgusting slop and he's not here to provide it." Dalia's stomach rumbled with hunger. "I demand the disgusting slop!"

"Quit you're whining," Drew interrupted her.

Dalia slapped him across the face. She huffed and looked indifferent as she resumed looking around for Chef.

"Moron," Drew mumbled in annoyance, rubbing his cheek.

"Hello-o! Che-ef!" Cookie called, her booming voice echoing throughout the dining hall.

"Chef isn't here right now," Chris spoke through the intercom in the room. "However, don't worry about the food. It'll appear on the table shortly. I hope you enjoy it, for it's a true delicacy... white gunk!"

"Good to hear," Drew muttered as the table entered the floor and popped back up a second later with the food.

"Let's eat, shall we?" Sara spoke. Everyone nodded and began to dig in... well, they did after recoiling in disgust at the first bite and coughing it up.

"This stuff is stickier than usual!" Thorna complained.

"I bet it will lodge itself in our throats," Dalia grumbled.

"Hey, Chris!" Kane called. "What's the challenge going to..."

"AAAAHHHH!" Chris screamed in sheer terror. This went on for a few seconds, growing fainter until it finally halted suddenly. A shallow breathing could be heard before the intercom went dead.

"Uhhhhhh...uhhhhh" Cookie stammered, her spoon suspended an inch from her face as she stared at the ceiling in shock and confusion.

"What just happened?" Thorna queried, a little disconcerted by the strange loudspeaker message.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Chris) Today's challenge will certainly give the contestants a scare. In the meantime... wait, what? Who are you...? Chef? What are you doing? You've got the armor on, but...why are you taking mAAAAAHHHH!

(?) ...

**End Confessional**

* * *

Liannea moaned in pain, holding her forehead and exhaling slowly. "Where...where am I?" she asked herself, her eyes flickering open to find a glum, grey brick ceiling above her. The room was constructed of the same material (which was no different than the rest of the castle). The only light came from candles in holders protruding from the walls. At the moment, Liannea was lying down on a diagonally-slanted, wooden board.

She tried to move, but Liannea's hands were bound behind the board. She struggled, already on the verge of a panicky fit, but realized that it was hopeless as she sensed that the board was somehow firmly stuck in place. "HEEELP!" she cried out pleadingly.

In response, the kidnapper walked in.

"AAAHHHH!" Liannea screeched, now in full-fledged panic mode.

The kidnapper was wearing a large, heavy suit of black armor that clanged as he menacingly approached Liannea, every step sending ear-piecing shudders ringing through the metal. Liannea;s eyes widened as she assumed that she was about to be killed. The only thing she could do was continue screaming. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

The kidnapper clamped a hand on Liannea's mouth, effectively silencing her and bumping her jaw accidentally in the process. "Ow!" she spoke through the metal. "That hurt!"

The kidnapper breathed shallowly, and then exited the room through the only door. It closed shut behind him, and Liannea was left alone.

* * *

Meanwhile, in an identical room, Nathan was just waking up. He squirmed uncomfortably a bit, and then came to the conclusion that he was tied up.

A loud clang could be heard, and Nathan's eyes shot open. "Who are you and what do you want?!" he screamed.

"Chef's playing some twisted game with us," an all-too-familiar voice replied in annoyance. Nathan turned his head and groaned in despair as he found that it was none other than Chris McLean, tied up like him.

"It's Chef?" Nathan asked.

"Well, actually, I'm not ENTIRELY sure," Chris professed. "But he's wearing the armor like he was supposed to, and he doesn't answer my questions about why he's doing this, so I'm pretty sure it's Chef."

"This was supposed to be the challenge?" Nathan questioned the host.

"Yep," Chris nodded. "The contestants are supposed to be kidnapped one by one until the remaining ones find Chef in the armor and defeat him. Then, they have to find their kidnapped castmates. The first team to do so wins."

"Okay," Nathan said in comprehension. "So...why isn't Chef going after the people still in the game?"

"How should I know?" Chris snapped. "Do I look like I read minds? No! I don't, for your information...!"

"Okay, geez," Nathan interjected, turning away from Chris and trying to peer underneath the door at the other end of the room. "What's he doing now?"

"Beats me," Chris shrugged. "He's got some weapons, like a sword and an axe and stuff. My guess is...he's finally gone overboard and is trying to kill us."

"..." Nathan remained silent for a minute before he burst out with screams. "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

* * *

**Confessional**

(Nathan) I don't wanna die. I don't wanna die. I don't wanna...AAAAAHHHHHH!

(?) ...

(Chris) Chef is so fired. I've just missed my hot tub hour, my TV hour, my random Chef torture hour, my unnecessarily-boss-the-interns hour, my Gemmy poloshing hour AND my clothing organization hour. Chef just doesn't realize how hard it is being a TV host.

**End Confessional**

* * *

"Um...Chris?" Sara asked pleadingly, but it wasn't like she expected a response, so she wasn't suprised when there was only silence. "What...what was that all about?"

"A pathetic attempt to scare us, no doubt," Gordon answered with a scoff. "He's simply trying to mess with our heads."

"Yes, because you'd definitely know about messing with people's heads," Drew spoke with a hint of venom.

Gordon glared at him.

"So if Chris isn't talking, then how do we know what the challenge will be?" Thorna brought up angrily, absently tossing her bowl of gunk behind her.

"I say we go get the information from him by force," Dalia suggested deviously, grinning an evil, eager grin.

"I agree," Kane nodded, to which Sara frowned. "Let's go find Chris."

* * *

**Confessional**

(Dalia) I'm sure that Chris is just toying with us. He'll probably come down in a minute to tell us what the challenge is. I decided to go find him just because I want to scare him back...a thousand times worse than the intercom scream. This is going to be so much fun!

(Drew) Could this be a ploy created by Chris? Perhaps it's part of the challenge. In any case, right now I've got to convince Cookie to remain in allegiance with me, and get Dalia to see that Gordon's evil. Shouldn't be too hard...right?

**End Confessional**

* * *

The seven contestants pushed their bowls away, every single one deprived of only a single bite before being abandoned (even Cookie's). Dalia clutched her growling stomach and groaned, while Cookie pouted. "It didn't taste like before!" she whined.

"That's because even YOU can't be completely comfortable to Chef's food," Dalia pointed out. "No one can."

"An excellent point," Drew remarked casually, sauntering past the two girls. "Hi, Cookie."

"Hiiiii," she waved, smiling giddily.

"What do YOU want?" Dalia spat, not appearing in the mood to talk to him.

"No need to be hostile," Drew commented light-heartedly, raising his hands. "How are you, by the way?"

"I'm very sad," Dalia answered sarcastically. "There's been a major lack of me being left in holes with plants to die lately. Whatever shall I do?"

"I'd help you with that, but there are bigger problems," Drew digressed. "You know our beloved teammate, Gordon?"

"No, I just got here yesterday," Dalia rolled her eyes. "What about him?" she demanded.

"Have you noticed that his recent actions have been a little... questionable?" Drew advanced on cautiously, trying to make it sound like it was a big deal and yet not reveal enough information yet, thus hopefully piquing Dalia's curiosity.

"Not entirely," Dalia answered, giving Drew a quizzical look, eyebrows slightly raised. "What's it to you, anyway?"

"Hasn't he become a little more hostile lately?" Drew pressed on, ignoring her. "He's been staring lately, like he wants to do something."

"I haven't noticed anything!" Cookie exclaimed obliviously as she cartwheeled along.

"That's because your eyes are spinning around violently the majority of the time as you cartwheel without a care through this show," Drew snapped with a little unnecessary harshness.

"So are you here to say something important, or are you here just to point out Miss Sugar Rush's flaws over there?" Dalia interrogated Drew.

"It's blatantly obvious that he's revealing his true sociopathic nature," Drew spoke curtly, a strange mixture of both confidence and worry in his voice at the same time. "He has the potential to hurt us badly, but luckily I know a way to get rid of him."

"You want us to join you in voting him off," Dalia stated, rolling her eyes. "And you want to do this because he gave you a funny look?"

"Actually," Drew began, but Dalia interjected.

"I give looks of disgust to you people all the time," Dalia pointed out, "And you don't see ME hatching any dabolical plots to re-enact Jack The Ripper killings or painting scary warnings on walls in my own blood. That's reserved for the mentally challenged and possibly Chris in the future."

"Don't you realize this is the perfect opportunity for the intelligent strategists, like Gordon, to pick us off?" Drew asked, raising his arms in the air frantically. "Plus, if we allow him to get by, he'll dominate every single one of us. Look around. There's me, the least-capable person on the team. There's Cookie..."

"Watch what I can do!" Cookie called to the two Narwhals. She did a cartwheel and then jumped when she got to her feet again, soaring through the air and crashing into the wall. Cookie slumped to the ground in a daze.

"...And then there's you, the annoying loud-mouth," Drew concluded. "Gordon's got speed, endurance, a decent amount of strength..."

"Calling loud-mouth, huh?" Dalia interrupted. "That'll surely make me want to join your little alliance. I'll think about it while I proceed to bang your head repeatedly on the wall until the amount of brain damage you sustain might actually cause you to think straight."

"Just CONSIDER my offer for you to join me in voting for him...at the very least, do that," Drew pleaded.

"..." Dalia remained silent for a moment, and so it was just the group of teens moving wordlessly, turning the corner and heading down the right corridor. Finally, she grudgingly responded, "...Fine. But it's doubtful. And if you try anything I'll make sure your dreams becomes riddled with morbid, terrifying nightmares that'll be horrendous and mentally scarring, so much so that you'll have to check into extreme therapy once the season is over and..."

"That's all I needed to hear." Drew grit his teeth.

* * *

**Confessional**

(Dalia) Hah! Drew? Begging? To ME? I now realize how much power I have! I could vote for Drew, and probably get Gordon to do it, too. However, I am kind of nervous when it comes to Gordon. He eyes my booklet like it's a sacred relic, and eyes me like I'm a pile of beetle dung that happened to find itself on his shoe. Gordon hasn't really done anything to me personally, but I think I'll just observe my fellow a**hole teammates for now to determine who I'll vote for. Heck, I might vote off Cookie. Such an annoying little...

(Cookie) ...ball of joy! At least, that's what I hope Drew thinks of me. Lately I've been getting some strange emotions coming from him, though. I'm sure it's nothing. He loves me, I just know it! If he were to break my heart, I don't know what I'd do.

(Drew) Cookie still seems into me, and Dalia just might actually see my way, or at least she might eventually. Everything I said, though part of the plan to get rid of Gordon, was entirely true. Me being weaker than most of the contestants, Dalia being a loud-mouth, Cookie being, well, Cookie.

**End Confessional**

* * *

The seven contestants soon found themselves at the entrance to Chris' quarters. "If Chris didn't vanish mysteriously," Kane spoke, "Sara and I would be in major violation of a restraining order Chris put on us."

"Apparently we're not allowed within fifty feet of his quarters," Sara informed everyone with a chuckle. "There's even red tape placed so we know the distance."

"We don't know that Chris mysteriously disappeared," Gordon pointed out. "He might be in here now laughing that he fooled us into thinking something was wrong with him."

"Well if he isn't here, I'd sure like to chow down on some of his delicacies he stores in his fridge," Dalia cackled in diabolical anticipation. "He'll be so devastated by the loss of his precious platters that he'll spiral into a depression while thinking about what he could've been the one to ingest..."

...

...

...

Everyone glared at her.

"Chris?" Cookie called, knocking on the three different bricks two times. The doorway opened up to reveal Chris' kitchen, however it didn't seem that the quarters were occupied at the moment.

"Well. Time to help ourselves," Dalia commented in delight. She rubbed her hands eagerly and stepped towards the refridgerator, only to suddenly pause in her tracks. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Thorna raised her eyebrows.

Dalia motioned for everyone to remain silent while she listened...

...

There was a metallic clank in Chris' bedroom.

Gordon crept up to the side of the door, his back to the wall and his eyes narrowed in concentration. He held a finger to his lips for everyone to keep quiet, but Cookie cartwheeled over to the door and chirped, "Chrriiiiss!" She opened the door in one swift motion...

Empty.

"Come on, Chris!" Dalia barked, rolling her eyes in boredom. "Your little games are about as unoriginal as your hair style and as horrendously-designed as your clothing."

"Nice one," Thorna complemented.

"I try," Dalia smirked with pride.

Kane and Sara took careful footsteps forward, crosisng to the bed and peering around. "Nothing," Sara shrugged.

"Chris is a hopeless case," Kane sighed. "His brain is way too complex to understand...or rather, it's so dumb that his motives are ridiculous and nearly unfathomable."

A dark figure's movement from within the shadows of the dark room caught the couple's eye. "Get out," Kane whispered fervently to Sara.

"What is...?" Sara began to question him, but that was when the floor beneath them gave way.

"Gotcha!" Dalia exclaimed as she ran over to the gaping, rectangular hole in the floor and grabbed onto Kane's wrists.

"Sara!" Kane called down. The hole was a good few feet down, enough so that landing incorrectly could prove mildly fatal. Sara seemed relatively unharmed, and she lay dazed on the ground below.

"I'm fine!" she groaned in response. "What happened?" she called as she opened her eyes and stood up.

"You fell," Drew deadpanned. "I figured that would be obvious to deduce."

Sara frowned at him, and then looked around. "There's no way back up?"

"Are you sure you can't use the soil lining the walls to climb back up?" Drew called down. Gordon elbowed him. "What?"

"Why are you helping the other team?" he hissed. "Don't you see this is a challenge?"

"OR it could be the work of someone trying to kill Chris," Drew suggested.

"Sure, sure," Dalia snickered. "Listen, conspiracy theorist. Let's just rescue the weak girl and then get the heck out of..."

Dalia then found herself falling into the hole along with everyone else.

"AAAHHH!" Cookie screamed as she fell. She landed... on her feet.

"..." Cookie blinked in surprise. "Huh. I'm okay."

"AAAHHH!"

"OOMPH!"

Drew had landed on Cookie. "My bad," he moaned, rolling off of her and standing up to brush the dust off of him.

"Someone pushed me!" Thorna exclaimed, seething with rage. "Which one of you...?!"

"Look!" Kane interjected with an urgent yell, pointing up just in time for everyone to catch a dark figure retreating from the edge of the hole.

"Was that Chris?" Sara inquired, rubbing her aching shoulder.

"I doubt Chris could barrel into six of us with enough strength to make me feel like I cracked a rib," Dalia argued, clutching her side. She staggered to the wall of the hole, constructed out of pure soil from the ground, and clawed at it for a moment. "We might be able to climb out...OH MY F***ING GO...!"

Dalia backed away, her eyes in the form of perfectly white circles that showed incredulity and fear. Everyone followed her example as the mass of hands reached out from the ground at the edge of the room. The owners of these hands then rose to the surface...

About fifteen or so zombies wearing rusted armor and wielding weaponry ground their teeth together mindlessly as they gazed lifelessly upon their prey.

Their mouths widened in hunger, and that was when everyone screamed...

* * *

**Confessional**

(Cookie) Z-z-z-zom-m-m-b-b-biieees! ...AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

(Dalia) I don't think Chris could be so twisted as to do something like that. I swear nearly everyone had a heart attack...! ...Except for me, of course. I was shocked, but ready to kick some undead a**!

(Thorna) (Looking down at the ground) Oh my g...they're infiltrating the confessionals! AAAAHHHH!

**End Confessional**

* * *

"Just keep calm!" Cookie told herself, curling into a ball on the ground and rocking back and forth in terror. "One potato, two potato, three potato...fAAHH!"

"Don't you mean four?" Drew asked, but when he turned around he saw that one of the zombies had laid its hand on her head.

"Stay back!" Drew bellowed, kicking the zombie in the stomach. Drew's foot went right through, and the zombie knight only blinked before reaching out to grab him.

"AH!" Drew screamed, falling backwards. His leg accidentally lifted the zombie into the air, which Drew kicked off with his other foot. It flew into the air, and Drew rolled sideways just as it fell to the ground.

"It's insides..." Drew noted. "They're shiny and grey...and non-organic."

"Hiya!" Thorna cried out animalistically, shoving two charging zombies aside. A third one appeared behind her, but with ease she whirled around, grabbed its sword, raised it above her head and let it come crashing down. The zombie was split clean in half. It fell into a messy pile on the ground, joining another.

"Robots, huh?" Thorna noticed in confusion. "Meh. Who cares. I still want to crush them with an equal passion."

"Hah!" Gordon roared mightily as he dodged the swinging sword of a zombie before falling to the ground purposefully and round-house kicking it to oblivion. He hastily regained his footing in one fluid motion to prepare for the next battle with an advancing zombie. "Bring it on," he muttered irritably to himself.

The zombie cocked its head to the side for a split second before commencing its destructive rampage. It rudely brushed past Kane and Sara, who were fending off three of the horrid, fiendish creatures at once. "This isn't good," Sara remarked with a worried chuckle.

"They don't seem to be that bright," Kane observed, looking past the three in front of him to spot one of the zombies banging its head against the wall, creating an indentation in the soil. It did this for a few more seconds before Cookie cartwheeled straight into it, effectively silencing the thing for good. "Taste my acrobatic skills of justice!" she shrieked valiantly.

Focusing on their current dilemma, Kane came up with an idea. He crawled speedily underneath the first zombie's legs. He scrambled to his feet behind it and lifted it up by the waste. The zombie flailed about, but couldn't prevent Kane from knocking it into the zombie on his right. The two zombies' heads fell off.

"Ew," Kane remarked monotonously. He then pivoted his body swiftly to help his girlfriend, though she seemed to be taking care of herself quite well without him. The third zombie's arm flew through the air before its head followed. The dismembered body of its owner collapsed in the growing heep in the center of the room.

"Nice job, honey," Kane nodded in approval at Sara's handiwork.

"Thanks, sweety," Sara responded, chuckling.

Another zombie fell, the second one to do so at the hands of Gordon. "Give Hades my regards," he uttered under his breath before rejoining the non-fighting contestants around the pile. Drew and Cookie were finishing up with two in the corner while Thorna and Dalia had each others' backs while facing off against a pair of their own. The zombies were swiftly incapacitated.

"Ha! Shows that guy at school that!" Cookie cheered. "I CAN survive a zombie apocalypse, Ryan!"

"Ha! Suckers!" Dalia cackled, enjoying her victory. She kicked one of the zombie robot's heads into the wall, where it lodged itself firmly. "...Huh...a way out, anyone?"

Kane and Sara looked at each other, skepticism evident in their expressions. Dalia rolled her eyes and began launching zombie/robot heads into the walls to use as tiny platforms.

"Creative," Drew remarked, inspecting her finished handiwork. "You're impressive."

"That's an understatement," Dalia snorted.

Gordon glared jealously at the two, but didn't say a word.

* * *

**Confessional**

(Gordon) I think I may have underestimated Drew's manipulation skills. He appears to be creating SOME sort of bond with Dalia, and Cookie's ALREADY under his control... I think I'll try to severe Cookie's bond with Drew...

(Dalia) I'm the greatest...

(Sara) She might have been smart to create a way out, but Dalia is still not trustworthy. I'm gonna keep a close eye out for her.

(Drew) My plan is going well so far. Gordon, your rule over this game shall be short-lived, for I'll make SURE your elimination occures the next time we lose.

**End Confessional **

* * *

The seven teens quickly evacuated the deadly hole. "Sweet surface!" Cookie sighed in relief, hugging the ground. "I'm going to plant myself in this spot and hug the ground for eternity. I will NOT MOVE!"

"Get up, Cookie," Gordon told his teammate irritably, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"...Okay!" Cookie stood up.

"Hm...what's this?" Drew asked himself, kneeling on the ground. He picked up the object and inspected it with contemplating eyes. "A kitchen knife..."

"You think Chef did this?" Thorna asked.

"We can't be sure," Sara pointed out.

"Those zombies were really robots," Kane reminded everyone as he thought about the clues they had. "The robots were located in the laser tag arena, which Chef had complete access to. He also designed a new entrance, so who knows what else he could've done with his time. Maybe he found the robots and programmed them? And perhaps he built a pit in Chris' room, as well..."

"Let's not jump to conclusion," Drew reminded everyone. "If we do that, the entire case will spiral out of control and we won't get anywhere."

"Case?" Dalia snickered. "Listen, Holmes, this is not a murder case. Trust me..."

"How do YOU know?" Drew questioned Dalia. "For all we know, Chris is lying in a grave somewhere, his corpse decomposing in his golden, diamond-studded coffin while the murderer still walks the castle, trying to completely ruin everything he has tried to accomplish this summer, INCLUDING Castle Madness."

"And you think YOU can solve this 'mystery'?" Thorna queried doubtfully.

"Yes," Drew crossed his arms in a matter-of-fact manner. "In fact, I declare this a full-on investigation. Refer to me as... Detective Drew..."

Gordon smacked his forehead. Everyone else just shrugged.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Gordon) Drew is getting a considerable amount of attention, and I fear it might help him win everyone over. The last thing I need is for him to be liked by the OTHER TEAM, let alone Dalia. I predict that if he makes it to the merge, Drew will be a difficult person to get rid of, and I fear the merge might happen soon. I CANNOT allow Drew to advance any further in the game...

**End Confessional **

* * *

The mildly battle-weary contestants evacuated Chris' room, not wanting to stay in that death-trap any longer. "Where should we go next?" Thorna grumbled quizzically to Kane. "I don't want to run around the entire castle just to find out he was right under our oblivious noses."

"Oh! Oh! I know where we could look!" Cookie called out brightly. "Let's check the Lame Labyrinth!"

"Cookie, that's..." Dalia began with disgust, but stopped in her tracks, "...actually not a bad idea."

"I agree," Drew nodded. "Let's start there."

Cookie beamed with pride in herself while Drew opened up an entrance to the network of secret corridors. Thoroughly examining the interior, Drew deduced it was safe. He allowed everyone else to enter before him, waiting until Gordon entered, and then stepped in as Dalia took the end. "You're up to something," Dalia noticed.

"Nice perception, Ms. Obvious. How could you tell?" Drew scoffed, his voice heavily laced with sarcasm and his expression not a joking one.

"What do you want now?" Dalia grunted. "My time, unlike most people's, is precious."

"I'm sure you'd just LOVE to dash head first into your possible demise. I'd wish you the best of luck."

"Aw, how considerate of you," Dalia countered with venomous sweetness.

"Okay, enough witty retorts!" Drew snapped. "Dalia, I'm being dead serious. Gordon is a..."

"A threat, I get it," Dalia sighed irritably. "Explain to me again why I should join you..."

"Dalia!" Gordon called from the edge of the dark corridor. "May I have a word with you."

"Be right back," Dalia droned satirically. She jogged up to Gordon and eyed him. "What is it?"

"I was wondering if you had your booklet on you," Gordon answered curtly. "I would like to examine a few things."

"I left it in the room," Dalia replied. "Sorry."

"And you say you're becoming a strategist," Gordon scoffed lightly. "Ignoring the chance to collect more information about the people around you, sorting out who's the enemy and who you can trust."

"Yes, that is a challenge," Dalia nodded. Gordon narrowed his eyes curiously,

"Yes...well...I just feel that you should be aware constantly," Gordon concluded. "I care about your safety. There are some people in this game who can be ruthless."

"You've got lovebirds like Kane and Sara, and completely insane people like Cookie," Dalia pointed out jokingly. "Not much ruthlessness going on in those corners."

"You never know when the people you trust most can turn out to be your worst enemies," Gordon pointed out, his expression blank.

"I'll keep that in mind," Dalia nodded. "Thanks for...helping me out," she said uncertainly.

"It's my pleasure," Gordon half-smiled.

He walked away.

* * *

**Confessional**

(Dalia) Am I the only one who got a feeling of a secret hint he was trying to give across? ...I might re-evaluate Drew's proposal. Like the mastermind said, my most trustworthy of castmates could be my worst enemies... the question is, who is more of an enemy? Drew, or Gordon? I need a moment to think...

(Gordon) I could sense myself wanting to induce fear in Dalia. This is not good. If she catches on to too many hints, it might make her rethink her unofficial alliance with me. I need to reel her in...

**End Confessional**

* * *

Cookie bounced up to Drew. "Hey, Dr..."

"Not now, Cookie!" Drew hissed.

"But Drew..." Cookie whined.

"I'm busy! I don't have time for your immature randomness!" Drew barked softly so as to not attract attention to himself. He gently brushed her aside absently as he crept closer to get a better eye on Gordon.

Cookie sighed and sulked onward.

* * *

Liannea had decided that since she was positive she was about to die, she'd take a few minutes to rest. "No use b****ing when you can't do anything," Liannea sighed. "I just wish I could've lived long enough to find a cute guy."

Liannea's stomach growled, and she slumped further back into the wooden plank.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Liannea) There's a camera on the floor. That is, like, super weird. But anyway, I'm very scared, however, I know that I, like, have zero chances of making it out alive. I just wanted to, like, let the world know my regrets. I regret not finding a cute guy to date, not making the most of life while it lasted, you know? I regret not being able to stay in the competition long enough to, like, actually have a CHANCE to win the five million bucks 'cause I was, like, such a pathetic, emotional wreck. Lastly, I regret wasting my entire life focusing on myself when there were, like, people in my life I should've focused on. Like, my mom. I wish that I didn't always turn down your offers to go out to the mall and, like, hang out. Dad, I found your obsession with cars bordering on, like, insane, but now I appreciate it, especially since I've been looking for a car to buy and you're, like, an expert. So, yeah, it's convenient to have a car-loving Dad. And...overall, I'm just sorry for being a shallow, narcissistic b****. Please forgive me.

**End Confessional **

* * *

Liannea finished her confessional when the black knight entered the room. He looked at her for a second, nodded slightly, and then exited. Liannea didn't notice, but a muffled, screaming voice could be faintly heard from outside the doorway. It was shouting inaudibly. "Kmphrn! Kmgt!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Chris was going through a list of things out loud that he'd miss. Nathan was contributing to this, too. "Hair gel, my hot tub, my gigantic plasma TV..."

"My dog, my family, my friends," Nathan spoke.

"That's so cheesy," Chris snickered.

An axe was thrown into the room through the open door, lodging itself into the wall just next to Chris. "Okay, okay! Sheesh!" Chris shouted. "I'll stop talking!"

The mysterious black knight entered the room, looked at him for a second, rolled his head to signify an eye roll, and then left.

* * *

Kane had zoned out while they traversed the complex network of interconnecting halls, so when he noticed that Sara wasn't next to him, it was surprising. "Sara?" Kane whispered in questioning. Then, his voice suddenl become a panicked shriek. "SARA! WHERE ARE YOU!"

"Ow, my ears," Gordon grumbled. He looked around, counting the amount of people he could spot in the dark shadows of the dim hall. "Huh. We're only six."

Kane frantically whirled around, but she was not in the area. He dashed, back-tracking towards the last hall they had passed.

"Kane, don't go alone!" Dalia called after him.

"I'm on it," Drew sighed, sprinting after the despaired Platypus male. He reached Kane and skid to a halt. "Don't run off like that," he scolded the taller boy. "Sticking together is imperative if we're going to make it ou..."

There were quiet footsteps, and then the nearly-silent yet still audible sound of an entrance opening in a wall.

"Drew!" Cookie whispered rapidly, racing up to her unrequited lover. "What's...?!"

"SH!" Drew hushed her. Cookie pouted, but did as she was told.

...

...

...

"...Let's go check it out," Drew told Cookie and Kane.

"Oh, no you don't!" Thorna told Kane firmly, gripping him by the wrist and dragging him back to Gordon. "Everyone's sticking together."

"That means you, too, Drew and..." Gordon began to speak, but they had already entered through the wall. It closed off, and Gordon tried to open it back up but failed.

* * *

**Confesional **

(Gordon) I was hoping to talk to Cookie, but I guess that won't happen anytime soon. I'll persuade her to see my way at a later time.

**End Confessional **

* * *

Cookie and Drew stumbled into a room neither of them had had prior knowledge of before. It was a dusty, dimly-lit room, the only light coming from a single window at the top of the wall towards the end. It was wide from the entrance view and short from that vantage point, as well. Two long, rectangular, wooden tables stretched across the width, masses of objects cluttered around and on them. The back also held a wide range of book shelves.

"I'm guessing this was some sort of private study room?" Drew observed, spinning a globe that reached up to his waste.

"Wow!" Cookie exclaimed in delight. "There's so many things and lots of books and really neat stuff and so many chairs and such long tables and it's so dark..."

"Cookie, enough!" Drew snapped venomously. "God, you are infuriating!"

"...Drew..." Cookie whimpered.

"No, just stop!" Drew raised a threatening finger to silence her. "Your random, excessively elongated outbursts of joy are old and boring! The only thing they manage to succeed in doing is make my concentration on the important matter at hand falter, and overall they annoy me! Just SHUT UP!"

Cookie remained motionless in place, gazing at Drew with a solemn expression. Then, she lowered her head miserably and muttered, "I see. Fine. I'll be quiet."

Drew pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily, both actions habits he had been taking on lately. "Look, Cookie," he moaned in defeat. "It's just that there's a certain time to..."

A bookshelf being knocked over snapped both teens to attention...

The looming, petrifying dark figure of a person wearing black armor made Drew instinctively roll under his feet. "Thank goodness for my smaller size," he whispered to himself before dashing into the back of the knight, hoping to push him over. However, he was harder than solidified cement, and easily stood his ground.

"...Oh," Drew remarked. "Huh..."

The black knight swung his fist, but Drew dodged. The violent enemy then kicked Drew, sending him skidding across the floor and into the toppled bookshelf. "My head!" he shrieked in pain, gripping his scalp tightly.

"Hiya!" Cookie cried out, leaping onto the black knight and causing him to lose his balance. The black knight flailed about as he tried to get the tall red-head off of him, but Cookie clung like a determined, famished leech. She pounded at the helmet, screaming, "You want a piece of me?! BRING IT ON!"

The black knight grew aggravated by Cookie, and grabbed her by the waist as he reached behind his back. He peeled her off of his shoulders, and then flung her onto one of the tables. The hyperactive optimist landed on another globe. She rolled off and fell to the ground.

Suddenly, a doorway opened up in the wall next to her. Another black knight came out. He stopped, stared at the other knight, and tilted his head sideways.

"AH!" Cookie squealed as she noticed the other black knight, back-flipping to regain her footing, and then whirling around to deliver a painful punch to the face. The black knight's helmet flew off due to the force, and the man inside of it fell to the ground with a moan.

"Chef?" Cookie questioned the cook inside the suit. "What are you...?"

"Cookie!" Chef yelled. "Look out!"

Cookie pivoted her body with rapid speed, but couldn't avoid the clobbering fist that hit her head, rendering her unconscious. Meanwhile, Drew had grabbed a wayward sword on the ground and advanced towards the other black knight, who kicked Chef in the head to also make him unconscious.

"Who are you?" Drew asked the knight, setting himself into a fighting stance.

The knight gasped in anger as he noticed Drew. He fixed the visor on his helmet to confirm who it was, and then charged...

Drew held the sword feebly in his hands, but the knight rammed into him, knocking him out cold. As Drew's eyelids faded, he witnessed one second where the black knight grabbed his body and hauled him off along with Cookie and Chef's limp bodies.

* * *

**Confessional **

(?) ...Hmph.

**End Confessional**

* * *

Kane, Thorna, Dalia and Gordon continued to search for Sara. "Sara," Kane called weakly. "I'm not giving up."

"It's hopeless," Gordon sighed indifferently and uncaring. "She's clearly somewhere else She's abandoned."

"We don't know that," Thorna pointed out obviously. "She probaby just went to the bathroom and didn't think to tell us. Rude, since we're a team, but whatever."

"Exactly. Thank you, Thorna," Kane nodded once to her. Thorna gave a genuine half-smile.

Gordon rolled his eyes. "Hey, Dalia," he spoke. "Can I ask you something."

"Shoot," Dalia shrugged, wondering what her fellow Notorious Narwhal had to say.

"Have you noticed that six people have been eliminated from Total Drama Castle Madness?" Gordon asked casually. "And that after today, six will remain?"

"Yes, it's very cool how numbers work out like that," Dalia rolled her eyes.

"You're not getting it," Gordon growled softly but firmly. "Look around. Drew, Cookie and Sara aren't here, but just pretend they are. Every single one of them, except for perhaps one, will most probably be joining us for the merge."

Dalia thought about the probability of this fact, and then said, "Huh. You're right."

"I think that soon, perhaps even now, is the time to take out the major threats, whether they're physical or intelligent." Gordon pointed at the two Perilous Platypuses when they weren't looking. "Thorna's got skill, but her brain is practically non-existent. The same can be said about Cookie. Sara and Kane are moderately intelligent and skilled, and their perception has improved, making them soon-to-be-threats."

Gordon then gestured to the wall, indicating their teammates. "As I said, Cookie's a moron. And Drew, he's speedy, calculating and overall decent competition."

"And what about us?" Dalia folded her arms in questioning.

"I'm not exactly the strongest, although I do admit I take pride in being pretty intelligent," Gordon grinned boldly. "And you're definitely catching on to the intelligence, plus you're a pretty good competitor, though you're not particularly the aligning type. Which means others will either want to align with you, or...they'll mostly want to take you out."

"That makes...sense," Dalia commented, surprised at how accurate Gordon's observations were.

"I know you'll make great choices that will help you in the competition," Gordon assured her. "In the end, we all will. It'll be especially tough if we have to go to elimination, but I'm sure we'll figure something out..."

"People, shush!" Thorna hissed at Gordon and Dalia. "Did you guys hear...?"

A moment later, a black, metallic hand jutted out from the wall and clasped Kane's arm. "Ah! GET OFF!" he roared in a panicked tone, tugging on his arm to free himself. The opposing arm was more powerful, though, and pulled him into the wall.

"Kane!" Thorna exclaimed. "Hell no! My team is NOT getting kidnapped!"

"Hey!" Gordon shouted as the arm returned for a second round, this time taking him. He struggled, but a second hand came out and smacked him. Gordon's body went limp as it was dragged into the wall.

"Run!" Thorna commanded Dalia, the two racing to the end of the corridor and continuing right. When they did, they found two hallways to their left and right. A thin black curtain concealed whatever was behind each one, however through a crack in one Thorna could see a human leg in a room, struggling. "Hello?" Thorna called in a whisper as she pushed the curtain aside...

"Thorna!" Sara gasped in relief. Thorna rushed up to her, and then looked left. "Hey. You're that girl who got voted off second, right?"

"Liannea," Liannea nodded. "You were, like, the really mean chick." Liannea shot a look at Dalia before adding, "Well, not as mean as HER, but still..."

"I'm not like that anymore," Thorna grinned. "But I'm still kick-butt. Anyway, so what happened?"

"Chef kidnapped us," Sara answered. "Liannea didn't know, but once I was captured and tied to this plank like her he revealed himself. He also said that Chris was missing, so he felt that he should proceed with the challenge."

"Is there anyone else?" Thorna asked.

"Actually, like, there was another guy," Liannea added. "Nathan was kidnapped by another hand, and I have no idea where he could, like, be."

"That weak shrimp's here?" Dalia asked.

Thorna elbowed her in the gut before saying, "I've gotta talk to him when this is all over."

"But listen!" Sara pleaded. "Another knight walked into this room. He said that he'd be taking 'care' of us from now on instead of Chef. We asked who he was, and he took off his helmet, and..."

"And...?" Dalia pressed on.

"AND," Liannea concluded...

"Toady's still here!" Sara finished.

Thorna and Dalia gasped. Liannea struggled to break free of her confines, and the two girls helped both Sara and Liannea out. The four girls peered out the door before sneakily escaping to find the others.

* * *

**Confesional **

(Dalia) So the midget of a devil is still in the castle. I can't wait to severe every insignificant cell that constitutes his worthless corpse. I'll shatter every measly bone in his pathetic body before dismembering him gruesomely and feeding the limbs to Larry...wait, Larry's dead.

(Thorna) It's HIM. From day one he was just odd, but now he's gone completely psychotic. I've gotta put Toady in his place.

**End Confessional**

* * *

Chris and Nathan snapped out of their rest when five more people were brought into the room. "Chris! There you are!" Cookie exclaimed.

Toady smacked Cookie's cheek, effectively silencing her as she whimpered.

"All of you, shut up!" Toady barked maliciously. "I have had it with the idiocy that is Castle Madness! I will destroy each and every one of you, you hear me!"

"How can we NOT when you're screaming into our ears?" Gordon mumbled.

"Don't make any noise while I sharpen my weapons," Toady warned as he left the room and locked the door.

"Hey! Untie us! I'm getting rope burn!" Chris complained.

"Say please," Kane wagged his finger.

"Brats," Chris murmured.

"Close enough," Kane shrugged as he went over and untied Chris while Cookie did the same to Nathan. "Hi, guys!" he greeted the others.

"Hey," everyone said.

"I wish this meeting could be happier," Nathan admitted, "But it'll do."

"Come on, everyone," Gordon spoke. "We have to come up with a way to get out of here and defeat Toady."

"Let's try this," Chef suggested, ramming into the door. The hinges broke and the door was sent rocketing away.

"Nice job, Chef," Chris remarked as he peered out. "Remind me about that raise I mentioned earlier."

"Uh...yeah, okay. Sure," Chef chuckled. "And I vow to never attempt to murder you."

"Um...that's reassuring?" Chris replied in confusion.

Gordon, Cookie, Kane, Drew, Nathan, Chris and Chef all scampered out of the room. That was when the voice of their captor echoed throughout the halls of the Lame Labyrinth.

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE!" he bellowed mightily and furiously.

"So cliche," Thorna chuckled, appearing along with Sara, Liannea and Dalia. "You guys actually made it out!"

"Excessive labor that comes with being a cook and challenge manager of a hit reality series builds up muscle," Chef beamed, flexing his arms.

"Let's hurry before...!" Dalia started, but heard the rapid clank of metal boots making their way towards them.

"Quick, everyone! Head through here!" Chris panicked, opening his McLean Maze with two taps to three bricks. It was the room that Drew and Cookie had been in during the attack.

"I've got you!" Toady cackled maniacally, grabbing Cookie and throwing her into a bookshelf. She fell to the gorund, and then the bookshelf toppled over...

Drew snatched Cookie out from underneath the falling bookshelf. "Cookie! No!" he screamed. He turned his head menacingly to face Toady. "Die, you monstrous fiend!" he spoke through grit teeth, lunging at Toady. Toady reached out to stop him, but Drew swerved and with adrenaline fueling him he shoved Toady to the ground.

"Pretty strong," Sara nodded in approval.

Toady took off his helmet and smacked Drew aside with it. Drew hit the wall and slumped down unconscious.

"Hey! That was MY teammate you just brutally knocked unconscious!" Dalia screamed with fury, jumping at Toady. Toady rolled sideways, and Dalia somersaulted on the ground to avoid face-planting. She got to her knees, and then leaped up, kicking Toady's chest-plate. He stumbled back a few feet, reaching the table. Toady picked up a globe situated next to him, and it connected with Dalia's chest with lightning speed. Dalia was out cold.

"Kane!" Thorna called to her teammate, gesturing to Toady. Kane nodded, and the two both grabbed onto him before punching his face simultaneously. Sara then came over with a sword, and banged it against Toady's armor. His body vibrated from the hit, and then Thorna delivered the finishing blow to Toady's head. Bloodily wounded, Toady fell to the ground like his victims before him.

"Finally!" Chris grumbled loudly.

"Serves the a**hole right," Thorna nodded before high-fiving her two teammates.

The contestants, ex-contestants, host and cook gathered around Toady with solemn eyes. What they had endured throughout the day was perhaps the most mortifying experience they ever had in their life. No one knew what to say to alleviate the persistent silence that had befallen them...

"Chef," Chris sighed. "I think we all know how to handle this situation."

"Indeed, Chris," Chef nodded in agreement. "But first, what's happened with the challenge? I thought it became a murder mystery."

"I'm sure Drew loved that," Chris laughed light-heartedly. "But anyways, I want to congratulate all of you for proving me that you're more than brats. You're skilled brats."

"At least we GET some form of recognition," Thorna shrugged.

"Plus, since the entire Perilous Platypus team stood united and took Toady out together, I hereby declare them the winners of today's challenge."

Kane and Sara hugged. "Are you alright?" Kane asked Sara, feeling her arms and then touching her cheeks lightly to check for injuries. "Nothing broken or scratched?"

"Besides being severely traumatized..." Sara responded.

"I predicted correctly!" Dalia exclaimed with a broad grin.

"...I'm fine," Sara reassured Kane. "It's so awesome! Even when faced with this death-trap of a challenge, we managed to perservere and even win!"

"And we actually did it as a team," Kane smiled. "Thorna, you were amazing."

"I DID do most of the work," she said smugly. "But you weren't so bad yourself."

"And you didn't yell forcefully at me to do something," Kane laughed.

"Enough of this!" Chris whined. "Let's all just get to our respective quarters and recover form this experience that I never want to relive EVER."

The contestants nodded in agreement before departing.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Thorna) I so rocked! Did you see when I knocked that little bastard's lights out? Priceless! I'm definitely going to remember this day...I'm sure others will, just not in as light a view as mine...

(Gordon) I feel that I've successfully persuaded Dalia to see my way. Now I just need to talk to Cookie. This will be easy.

(Drew) I guess this was inevidable, right? I've done everything I could...I just hope Cookie forgives me for overreacting. I admit that I was a little too harsh on her. She's just so annoying at times, you know? But in all honesty she's only been trying to keep my spirits up and be a good friend, since it's the most she can do when I don't return her romantic feelings. Cookie, if you see this, I'm sorry.

(Cookie) Today was a stressful day, and now I'm heart-broken by Drew for saying such mean things to me. Although I do see now that what I was doing was just upsetting and not inspiring or helpful. Whether I'll forgive Drew or not is something I need to think about...

(Dalia) Voting time is coming up. I'm kind of undecided. Both guys put up pretty good arguments as to why the other should leave...Gordon didn't necessarily SAY he wanted Drew gone, but he sure as hell implied it. I'm so confused!

**End Confessional **

* * *

The seven remaining contestants plus two cameo ex-contestants returned with deep sighs of relief and exhaustion to the bedroom. "I see my advice has really done wonders for you," Nathan noted to Thorna.

"Yeah, I guess so." Thorna grinned proudly. "So, whatcha been doing?"

"You don't mean recently, do you?" Nathan asked jokingly. "Because I don't have much to say about the way I spent my time recently since it mostly involved being tied up and nearly killed...multiple times."

Liannea had tried to strike up conversations with her team. She was shocked to find that Gordon was completely ignoring her. Dalia also didn't seem in the mood. In fact, she didn't even give her a single insult. Drew said a monotonous 'hi' before going to his bed, and Cookie, though usually cheerful, was sitting outside the room and gazing into space.

Eventually, Gordon went over to Cookie. "Hi, Cookie," he greeted her.

...Cookie didn't respond.

"I heard about what happened," Gordon professed. "It's terrible how Drew treated you."

"I don't want to talk about it," Cookie muttered sadly.

"I know," Gordon nodded in understanding. "I just wanted to say that you shouldn't have expected anything less, and you shouldn't beat yourself up about it and feel down. He just doesn't like you 'cause he thinks you're obsessed when really you're just being friendly. He considers you inferior, a pathetic mess."

"Please leave me alone to think," Cookie pleaded half-heartedly.

Gordon opened his mouth to say something more, but figured he had done enough.

Meanwhile, Drew crossed the room to Dalia.

"Have you made up your mind yet?" Drew asked, not seeming as interested as he was before. No one was particularly in that type of mood, mind you.

"Far from it," Dalia shook her head. "But don't talk to me. I'm going to make my own choice, and it'll be a darn good one whichever way."

"You do know that Gordon will eat you alive in the competition if he were to stay," Drew pointed out solemnly. "He's got the brains. He's hidden himself from the others, but he can't fool me, and neither can he fool you."

"I said don't talk to me. I'm thinking!" Dalia snapped.

Drew stared at her before walking away...

* * *

Nathan and Liannea joined the Notorious Narwhals as they made their way to the foyer. The drawbridge was once again open, letting a brisk night gust of wind infiltrate the building. The Narwhals and Nathan rubbed their arms to keep themselves warm. Liannea decided to jog since she needed a lot of warmth due to her wearing a sleeveless dress.

"Welcome, Notorious Narwhals, to your third elimination," Chris greeted them when they sat down on the stools placed in front of his podium. "After tonight, only half of you will be left, and even then it may not even matter in the days to come..."

Gordon and Drew shot each other somber glances. Cookie gazed expressionlessly at Drew while Dalia stared quizzically at Gordon.

"I have three pieces of gum," Chris announced, but was interrupted by Chef carrying a medium-sized wooden box. He placed it down next to the open entrance with a little excess force. Something moaned from inside, and everyone automatically knew who it was.

Everyone grinned.

"Today has been quite the serious day," Chris spoke, "And there was a lot of dramatic issues going on in your team. Right now, perhaps some of them will be resolved, while others persist and some new ones even form."

The Notorious Narwhals remained perfectly still...

"The first person to get a piece of gum is... Cookie."

Cookie held out her hand. The piece of gum landed on it. She looked at it with no discernible expression on her face.

"The next person to get a piece of gum is... Dalia."

Dalia caught hers uninterestedly. However, after she popped it in her mouth, she leaned forward in intrigue.

"The two of you have definitely have something going on since the last episode," Chris proclaimed. "Right now, your feud will come to an end as one of you leaves Castle Madness for good."

"It's time to see who the better player was," Gordon spat. "We all know the answer..."

"Don't flatter yourself," Drew snapped. "I played JUST as well as you did, and you know it."

The two boys glared at each other, the tension in the air enough to ignite a billion suns.

Chris cleared his throat and spoke. "The final piece of gum goes to..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"Gordon."

Drew clenched his fists so tightly that they became red in seconds. Gordon's posture turned into a relaxed one, and then an excited one. "I. Did it," he smiled evilly. "Hah! I'm safe!"

Drew shot straight to his feet. "How?" he asked. "Just how?"

He gave Cookie an accusatory look. "Cookie?"

"I'm sorry!" Cookie wailed, jumping out of her seat and racing up to Drew, pulling him into a tight hug. "I was so confused and I just...I'm sorry!"

"It doesn't matter now," Drew sighed sadly, pulling away from the embrace. "Um...Cookie."

Cookie wiped away the tears that had begun to form in her eyes. "Yeah?" she choked out.

"I'm...I'm sorry for being so harsh on you," Drew apologized sincerely. "You had only good intentions, and I just pushed you away and scolded you when I should've admired you for your optimism and determination. You're one of the best people I've met in this competition, Cookie."

"You...you really think that?" Cookie questioned him skeptically.

"Yes," Drew nodded fervently. "And so...thank you for being there for me, even when I was mean to you."

Drew then returned to the embrace.

When he let go, Drew faced Dalia. "You weren't exactly pleasant company to have in this game, but I see that you have potential. I want you and Cookie to both do your best to properly sort through the enemies in the game, and act accordingly."

Dalia glanced at Gordon for a split second before returning her focus to Drew. "It was slightly nice knowing you, Drew," she said, nodding respectfully.

"And Gordon," Drew stated with an air of finality. "I admire your confidence, ambitiousness and skill... but I hope you rot in hell."

With that, Chef reached behind his back and pulled out...

A knife.

"Oops," he chuckled nervously, throwing that into the moat where it impaled a crocodile. Reaching behind his back again, Chef pulled out Drew's belongings. He also went into his apron pocket and pulled out his magnifying glass. "Here you go, soldier."

Drew nodded in gratitude and held the magnifying glass in his right and while he took his things in the left. Looking back one last time, Drew turned and walked across the Bridge Of Shame, and that was that.

"Narwhals," Chris spoke as the Perilous Platypuses entered the foyer. "Or actually, not Narwhals, or even Platypuses..."

"What?" Sara inquired.

"From today, forward," Chris declared dramatically, "The teams are disbanded. The merge has arrived people. Be proud, but also be wary. This is where it's every boy and girl for themselves. You have both friends and enemies in this group of six people that consist of you all. I expect you all to keep on your toes, for you never know who's really who."

With that, Chris and Chef left. Nathan and Liannea watched as their plane ride home arrived, and hurried out. The plane then flew away, leaving the six contestants alone at the drawbridge.

"It's individual immunity for every challenge," Gordon remarked. "I hope everyone gives it their all, 'cause then there'll be no competition."

"Bring it, you a**hole."

Everyone stared in shock at Cookie.

"You've gone undetected for too long," she said, pointing a finger at him. "And I vow to expose you. I will do whatever it takes to accomplish what Drew could not. I swear, Gordon Rivers, I will DEFEAT YOU!"

Cookie stomped off. Everyone stood there for a second before heading back to the bedroom, as well.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Kane) Things are just puzzling nowadays. In any case, I can't believe I actually survived until the merge. I definitely plan on pushing myself to and beyond my physical and mental capabilities. I'll play this game, and I'll play it hard! And I'll do everything in my power to bring me and Sara to the final two.

(Sara) Who'd have thought I could make it this far? I'm as surprised as everyone else. I know the drama will only increase from here, and I'm sensing some random things from the others that I'm not quite understanding, but I'll persevere. I'll brave it all and hopefully come out on top, and if not, then I'll at least help Kane along the way. We'll look out for each other, since from here on out, we're on our own.

(Cookie) I meant what I said. Gordon has gone too far, convincing me when I was vulnerable to vote off my only friend in this game. Gordon, I WILL CRUSH YOU IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!

(Thorna) At first, I thought that my stupidity might have been the end of me, but I have managed to get to this significant milestone in the game. Watch out, Total Drama. I'm not going to lose! The new Thorna will reign supreme!

(Dalia) I never doubted that I'd make it this far. However, I'm a little concerned as to how I'll continue to survive. There's Gordon to worry about, and I still think Sara holds a grudge against me. No matter, though. I'll try as hard as I can to be the most intelligent player here. I realize now that THAT'S what matters. Forget just brute strength. If you know how to control the others, then you automatically dominate this game.

(Gordon) So Cookie's following in Drew's footsteps now, is she? Well I have news for her. I didn't come this far just to be defeated by some insignificant, idiotic, hyperactive, naive moron. I'm the only one who's even REMOTELY deserving of the five million dollar prize, and I will stomp on ANYONE who gets in my way. Kane, Cookie, Dalia, Sara and Thorna are perhaps the five weakest choices for the merge. I'll manipulate them ALL, and soon victory will be within my grasp. Fear me, Total Drama! I RULE THIS GAME!

**End Confessional**

* * *

**Confessional ~The Votes~**

(Drew) I have done literally EVERYTHING in my power to try and convince Cookie and Dalia to side with me. I just have to hope that they realize what a threat Gordon truly is to their chances of winning. Goodbye, Gordon.

(Gordon) I've done EVERYTHING I could to ensure that Dalia and Cookie are loyal to solely me. Now it's just up to their stupidity to swing the odds in my favor. It was horrible knowing you, Drew.

(Dalia) As I said before, both boys were pretty convincing with their cases. In the end, though, I figure that I can get rid of Gordon at a later date. It'll be easy as hell to expose him for who he really is. Drew was a minor pain in my butt and will become a major threat, especially if we're both in the merge together. Drew, I'm not so sorry about this, but it's time for you to go.

(Cookie) What Gordon brought up was true. Though I hate to have to face reality, deep down I know that Drew just doesn't like me as much as I had hoped. I know that Gordon's supposed to be the enemy, but it hurts worse when a friend is against you than when an enemy is. I'm so sorry, Drew.

**End Confessional **

**End Result: 1 vote for Gordon, 3 votes for Drew**

* * *

**FINAL SIX: Gordon, Kane, Cookie, Sara, Thorna, Dalia**

**Author's Note: **I know it's not exactly the most humorous chapter, but I felt that Castle Madness needed a little more seriousness and depth, so I created this to expand upon the characters personalities (as well as give one to Liannea, which I didn't do in the early days of Castle Madness). I hope you enjoyed this, and I hope you find it haunting, mildly humorous and powerful.

Drew was actually one of the more likable and admirable characters. He was intelligent, witty, and most of all, he caught on to Gordon well before anyone else (except for Mark, who caught on the hard way :/). However, in the end Gordon was the successful manipulator, and thus we say goodbye to our beloved Drew. I am genuinely sad to have eliminated him, but this is the way the story must go. :*(

Poll is still up. Who do you think will win Castle Madness


	9. Reclamation Of Madness

It was early morning. The flame-colored morning sky hovered above the gorgeous McLean Fortress. At the bottom, on the drawbridge that crossed over the moat, was the castle's namesake. "Welcome back to Total Drama Castle Madness, ready to give you the first episode of the merge!" he exclaimed with difficultly-contained excitement. "Last episode, I had prepared a challenge for the contestants where Chef would disguise himself in a suit of black armor and kidnap people from each team. The teams would have to locate their kidnapped teammates while avoiding Chef's wrath, and bring them to safety." Chris then took a sharp intake of breath, exhaling with a grim air. "Unfortunately, there was one unexpected factor: Toady. He aided in the kidnapping, but he also was prepared to brutally kill all of us! As a result, I switched the challenge goal up so that whichever team defeated that lunatic ex-contestant won the challenge. The Perilous Platypuses won thanks to their new-found ability to cooperate as a team, but this was short-lived since the merge had arrived."

Chris turned around, reminiscing about the last challenge once again. "In a tension-filled elimination, it came down to Drew and Gordon. Their rivalry had sparked in the episode prior to the last one, but in that time they had had a heated competition to see who could win the favor of their other two teammates. In the end, however, Gordon played better, and so with heavy hearts we said goodbye to the Sarcastic Sleuth."

Chris composed himself, forcing a smile onto his face. "But enough of that lame serious-fest. This challenge will be extreme. It'll be suspenseful. It'll be pain-inducing. It'll..."

It was then that a large, gleaming silver helicopter appeared overhead, followed by a ton more. "...It'll apparently have to wait while I discover what the hell is going on," he trailed off as the helicopters descended. "Uh. Stay tuned to find out our current situation on TOTAL! DRAMA! CASTLLLLE MADNESSSS!"

Chris jumped back as the largest of the helicopters landed. "We're here to take back the castle, McLean!"

"Oh, boy," Chris gulped.

* * *

The final six contestants were rudely awoken in the dim light of morning when Chef came knocking at the door...meaning he knocked it off its hinges so it fell to the floor. "Get up and move aside!" he barked harshly. Kane and Sara, who had been sleeping in the same bed, quickly scurried to the end of the room as Chef grabbed the bed and dragged it across the floor, exiting the room with it. He then came back for the ones not being used by contestants.

"What the hell is going on?" Dalia questioned the cook, rubbing her eyes furiously. "You do realize you just woke us up, you rude asshole!"

"Hypocrite," Gordon muttered.

"I'm doing you a favor, so shut your mouth, girly!" Chef growled. He continued to take the beds out. Once this was done, Chef went out of the room for a minute before returning with a brand-new, queen-sized bed...

Followed by four more...

"No way!" Cookie screeched with joy, clapping her hands. "We're going to sleep in THESE?!"

"You're certainly not going to eat them," Chef pointed out. "Which reminds me. Breakfast's in thirty minutes."

"Joy," Gordon rolled his eyes and joined Dalia, who was standing at the table in the center of the room. "Huh. Chris hasn't given us a clue for a challenge since the dragon one."

"Don't even consider conversing with me if you want your entire body to remain intact by the end of the day." Dalia narrowed her eyes and displayed her clenched teeth to caution the sly teen. "Cookie and I both know what kind of person you are."

"And that's a bad thing?" Gordon raised an eyebrow. "Being a manipulative strategist makes me an immoral person? Because I'll have you know..."

"Cookie may think that," Dalia interjected. "I don't find that wrong. However, you're still a threat, and I plan on taking care of you just like Cookie...well, maybe not with the blatant, quick insults like her's, but in a similar manner I vow to beat you."

Gordon glared at Dalia for a moment. "You'll regret this deeply..."

"Is the meanie giving you trouble, Dalia?" Cookie inquired, marching up to her two former team members. "Need me to handle him?"

"I'm good, Cookie," Dalia frowned. "And quite frankly, I find it insulting that you're trying to protect me. I can handle myself..."

"And that's the exact reason why you'll get eliminated soon," Gordon remarked with a snide smirk. "You see..."

"SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU SON OF A W**** YOU B****!" Cookie cursed wildly. Eventually, Dalia clamped her hand over the angry girl's mouth.

"You get the idea," Dalia concluded for Cookie before walking away, Cookie still yelling through Dalia's hand and struggling to grab Gordon.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Gordon) I've noticed Cookie acting quite hostile towards me. I guess I should've been expecting that since I got her to vote off her only friend, however I'm beginning to think that her hatred of me and desire to see my downfall will become a deadly obsession...well, deadly for me. Let us never forget that Cookie is immensely psychotic and unpredictable, and combined with her extreme loathing of me, I fear she's a potential threat. My plan is simple: if I can't get my former teammates to side with me, it looks like I'll have to win over the former member of the Perilous Platypuses.

(Dalia) I've never seen someone so dedicated to something since I saw Chris one time trying to put the perfect amount of hair gel into his hair. He kept shouting, "Not enough!" before dumping all of it in... it was hilarious!

(Cookie) His stupid evil smirks make me so ANGRY! All the more reason to vote him off... but my vote won't count if he wins today's challenge. I'm going to stop him from winning it, no matter what! After that, I'll tell everyone to eliminate him! Ha! I'm a strategist! This is so exciting!

**End Confessional **

* * *

Chef had finished bringing in the last bed when Kane noticed something on the ground behind Dalia and Gordon. He went over and picked it up.

"What are you...?" Dalia began to ask, but she stopped. Her eyes widened as she saw Kane reading the open booklet.

...

...

...

Kane finished scanning the page, turning up to give Dalia a confused look.

"Uh..." they both mused quietly and blankly.

"Oh, lord," Gordon sighed.

Dalia took a single step forward, snatched the booklet from Kane, and ran out of the room. Kane did the same, though sprinted in the opposite direction.

* * *

**Confessional**

(Gordon) Great. Now she'll probably burn the book and I'll lose valuable information on Kane. He seems like he could be a threat. However, at the moment my main concern is Cookie and possibly Dalia. Deciding upon who's the better target is sort of difficult at the moment.

(Dalia) F***...

(Kane) Well...I learned why she didn't want me to see the booklet.

**End Confessional**

* * *

"Attention, all non-panicking maggots!" Chef announced to the remaining four competitors still in the room. "Your cameo contestant is here."

"Let me guess," Gordon mumbled barely audibly. "Axel? Nathan and Liannea were hear last time, and Mark was there before that, and Toady is probably never going to come back. Ifrena's also probably gone for good from the show..."

A familiar teen stepped in.

"Holy f***," Thorna exhaled, slapping her forehead.

"Chello, zhere," Ifrena waved.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Chef interrupted before anything could speak. "Attacking Chris and what not. That's why there's a paint bomb strapped to her."

Everyone noted the pack filled with paint attached to Ifrena's back.

"It's okay, I von't do anyzing," Ifrena chuckled. "I already tried to kill Chris, but I realize zat it vouldn't do anyzing besides cure a burning desire to see his blood coat ze valls," she shrugged. "Nozing important zhere."

Ifrena took to scrutinizing the participants still in the game.

"You're still frail," she told Sara. "You are all pretty much toozpicks now..." She then went over to Thorna. "Hovever, your stress lines are nearly gone. Vhy ze change?"

"A certain 'toozpick' helped me," Thorna smirked.

"Ah. Nazan," Ifrena nodded in understanding. "Nice guy."

"This is such a touching reunion and all," Sara interjected the pleasant exchange between the two, "But I'd like to know why my boyfriend and Dalia ran off."

"You seriously didn't notice in the past challenges?" Gordon probed skeptically, but he found no trace of comprehension in the girl's eyes. "Dalia had a crush on Kane."

"Excuse me?!" Thorna, Sara, Cookie and Ifrena all exclaimed in unison.

"It was pretty obvious," Chef rolled his eyes.

"I know," Gordon rolled his eyes as well, facing them expressionlessly. "It started with the kiss, which got Dalia's hormones to kick in. She became interested in him, but understood well that a, he had a girlfriend, and b, her feelings were moronic if they didn't involve his personality. So, she got a booklet and wrote notes about his personality. Dalia eventually wrote enough and deduced that she loved his personality, which made things even worse."

"Does she still like Kane?" Thorna asked incredulously, not able to completely take in what Gordon had said.

"Who can say," Gordon shrugged. "I don't think so, but in case you didn't already know, she's kind of a special person."

"If anyone's 'special' here, it's you!" Cookie snapped, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"Thank you," Gordon smiled.

* * *

**Confessional**

(Gordon) She doesn't like him anymore. It was a random, natural spurt of desire caused by the body. It's remarkable how fast it fades away. Of course, I wouldn't know about it since I'm an arrogant, sadistic, anti-social manipulator, but I enjoy brushing up on my knowledge of psychology. Also, I don't want Sara and the others to think it's probably gone. If I separate Kane and Sara, I could begin making moves on them...I like to have options.

(Sara) I'm starting to hate Dalia more and more by the day. And even if she didn't like Kane, she's still this...dark, mysterious, untrustworthy person. I think I know who my vote will be for during elimination.

(Thorna) So Kane's a ladies man, huh? Anywho, I've been thinking for a while, and I've come to the conclusion that Kane and Sara are pretty much my only allies. Gordon...I have no clue about him, but he's probably got his own thing going on, and Dalia is similar to me, but detestable at the same time and overall untrustworthy. There's Cookie, but she gets on my nerves. I just hope Kane and Sara are still trusting of me. I DID apologize for what I did to them, so maybe that'll have helped...I still don't entirely trust everyone.

**End Confessional **

* * *

Dalia raced through the corridors, tearing apart the booklet as she went. "Page 1: kind," she mumbled. She continued citing the pages, shredding them one by one. "Page 3: best quality. Understanding..."

Dalia growled as she sprinted the rest of the way, finding herself at a balcony overlooking the land surrounding the castle. "I doubt he'll be THAT understanding," she spoke with acid in her voice, grimacing. "YOU STUPID BOOKLET! STUPID HORMONES! STUPID EVERYTHING!"

Dalia threw the mauled booklet over the side of the balcony's railing. It landed on an unsuspecting passerby. "Ow!" he shouted. "What on earth...?"

Dalia looked down to see a teenage boy she hadn't met before. He was of average-height and lanky, with short, spiky black hair, glistening blue eyes and caramel skin. He wore simple blue jeans and a black shirt with a single, vertical red stripe. The boy stared up curiously at the balcony.

"You're not in the competition," Dalia called to him.

"Duh," the mysterious boy called back. "I suppose you are?"

"I won't be for much longer," Dalia sighed heavily. "I kind of got myself into a few tough situations."

"I can't believe my father actually let the castle be used for such a stupid game," the boy scoffed.

"It's stupid, but you get five million dollars if you win," Dalia pointed out. "And...hey, wait! What do you mean by 'my father actually let the castle be used'?"

"Well, my father DID give Chris permission to buy the castle to use it for his show," the boy explained.

"And who IS your father?" Dalia questioned the boy, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, most people refer to him as 'King Nikailo, Ruler Of The Odamoran Kingdom," the boy elaborated, "But since this place hasn't been called 'Odamora' for centuries, and there's never been a need for a king these days, he prefers simply Nikailo."

"Yeah, that's interesting," Dalia fake-yawned. "So, what's your name?"

"Going along with the long, fancy title thing, I'm called Prince Marduk, Heir To The Throne Of The Odamoran Kingdom," the boy answered with a mild laugh. "But you can just call me Marduk."

"Okay, then," Dalia stated slowly. "And what in the hell are you doing at the castle, 'Prince Marduk, Heir To The Thro..."

"My dad," Marduk replied. "He's been having regrets about him giving the castle to Chris, so he took some legal action and somehow got the castle back."

"So how does that affect me personally?" Dalia asked bluntly.

"From your perspective," Marduk answered, "It would mean that the show would most likely get canceled, with you and your friends never continuing on to get the five million dollar prize."

Dalia processed this for a second, and then finally came to the proper realization.

"This can't happen!" Dalia shrieked. "Sure, my chances might be slim, but I should at least be able to try! That's unfair!"

"Life's unfair," Marduk nodded in agreement, shrugging without a care. "But the fact is that you have to start packing. Chris tried to persuade him to change his mind, but my dad's a pretty stubborn guy."

"Great," Dalia muttered. "This won't happen, not if I have anything to say about it! I'll persuade your father so well that he'll immediately take everything I say as sacred facts of the universe, declaring a religion in my name with me as its god...!"

"That sounds fascinating, but I gotta go," Marduk informed Dalia. "C'ya!"

"Wait!" Dalia called after him. "You were mildly interesting! And talking to you was a good distraction from my current problem!"

It was no use. Marduk had vanished somewhere.

"Great," Dalia mumbled, gazing at the balcony entrance. "How do I get down there without running into Kane?"

* * *

**Confessional**

(Dalia) That Marduk guy may or may not be completely trustworthy...in fact, he could have been placed as an obstacle in the challenge, which might have started while I was running away from the whole booklet situation! F***! I might've missed the beginning of the challenge!"

**End Confessional**

* * *

The remaining competitors (minus Kane and Dalia), Ifrena and Chef descended the flights of stairs necessary to reach the bottom of the castle. When they got to the foyer, they noticed the drawbridge was open. On it stood Chris, along with a middle-aged man wearing a crown and wielding a scepter. By his side was Marduk.

"There is no use trying to convince me to rethink my decision," the man told the host firmly. Chris was twiddling his thumbs wildly, nervously looking around.

"B-b-but, sir, King Nikailo, your majesty or whatever," Chris protested, "My reality show is a big success, and it would disappoint the viewers if..."

"I'm taking back the castle, and that's final!" Nikailo snapped fiercely.

"Dad, just let them do their competition thing," Marduk sighed. "Honestly, it's almost over..."

"Son, this castle means very much to me," Nikailo reminded Marduk. "What with everything concerning your mother..."

"Why did you even give the castle away in the first place when you had doubts?" Marduk demanded. "Ugh, I'm gonna go."

"Marduk!" Nikailo called after his son as he raced past the contestants and up the stairs.

"Don't worry," Chris patted Nikailo on the back. "I understand what teens are like. I sympathize."

Gordon, Thorna, Sara, Cookie and Ifrena all rolled their eyes.

"Uh, Mister King Guy," Chef inquired, approaching Nikailo cautiously. "Are you sure you want to take back the castle _today?_ There's only two weeks left in the competition..."

Nikailo shook his head in exasperation. "My final answer is no. The castle is mine once again. I'll give you all an hour to pack up your things."

Nikailo went through the door that led into the throne room, marching up the steps and placing himself on the throne. "It's good to be home."

The contestants, ex-contestant, host and cook gave each other worried glances.

* * *

**Confessional**

(Chris) Total Drama is my life. Without it, I am nothing! NOTHING! I can't believe this...I might have to do something risky...oh boy."

(Chef) That stupid, big-headed, royal jerk. What do I do for money now? I'm definitely not going back to 'em dirty ol' prisons, serving white and yellow stuff to rough-and-tough bad guys. This ain't fair!

(Marduk) These cameras must be used for those confessionals the cast members do, right? Well then, I'd like to give an explanation for why my dad wants the castle back. See, my mother was always fond of the place. She led multiple construction efforts to renew this castle that had been in our family for generations. Then, when she died...well, my dad feels that she'd want this castle to...I don't know, stay in the right hands? Stay with us? All I know is that this place has a lot of meaning to my dad, and he won't let go so easily. I'm sorry for you Total Drama lovers, but it looks like the show's done.

**End Confessional**

* * *

"So we got to the merge for nothing?!" Thorna screeched, marching into the room. "YOU SON OF A...!"

"I'd hold your tongue, missy!" Nikailo barked from the throne. "You do not realize who you're talking to."

"Oh, I know VERY WELL who I'm talking to!" Thorna retorted. "Screw the nice girl stuff. This is serious! I've been through frickin' hell, you pompous moron! I was an idiot for the majority of the game, and was despised by pretty much everyone! And then, I finally changed, realized I was stupid and tried to fix myself. But then no, not everyone was forgiving! I had a frickin' teammate who was obsessed with seeing me go! Luckily, I somehow got my two other teammates to see that I was a different person, and I got another chance to play, only the right way. Now I've made it to the merge of the competition, and I don't plan to stop just because some idiotic, treat-me-royally fool doesn't care about us! GOT IT!"

"Go, Thorna!" Sara clapped.

"Ze Strict Chick is back and better zan ever!" Ifrena cried out. "You can't touch us, Nikailo!"

"You insolent, infuriating dimwits!" Nikailo roared in fury. "How dare you show such disrespect. Guards!"

A horde of medieval-dressed guards wielding spears filed into the room.

"Oh wow," Thorna murmured.

"Bring them to the prison underground!" Nikailo ordered.

"You'll never take us alive!" Ifrena bellowed, assuming a fighting stance and narrowing her eyes. Everyone else did the same.

* * *

Kane continued to trail up and down the same corridors. "I'm walking in circles! ...Or rectangles!" he groaned.

As he got to the set of stairs that led down to the foyer, Kane turned around. A hall was directly in front of him, and there was one on each side of him, as well. "Dalia," he said, his normal voice amplified by the snazzy power of hallway physics. "I'm not sure what's going on, but I'd like to talk about it. I don't blame you for feeling that way. It's just a normal thing with us stupid teens, right?"

There was no answer.

"I'll be around," he mumbled solemnly. He swiveled on his toes to head down the stairs, but something blocked him.

"Gotcha!" a spear-holding guard exclaimed, clutching Kane's wrists before he could get away.

"Hey! Get off of me!" Kane shrieked, trying to pull away in futility.

"Quit fighting!" the guard complained, banging Kane on the head with his metal-gloved fist. The poor boy went unconscious...

* * *

Dalia exited the Lame Labyrinth when she reached the foyer level."Guys?" she asked the air, getting no response after a few seconds of waiting. "Wow. Either I'm late or everyone tragically but hilariously fell into the moat and were severely mauled by the crocodiles, left to die from critical injury in the water..."

The creak of something heavy setting itself on the ground brought Dalia to attention. It continued, getting louder and louder as Dalia approached it through the hallway, to the dining room. Peering through a crack in the over-exaggerated doors leading inside, she could spot several medieval guards standing in two lines by each side of the table, seeming to be waiting for someone.

"Where the heck is Marduk?" Dalia wondered softly aloud. "And what's with the cheesy armored people?"

"HEY!" someone called from the foyer as they entered from the throne room, turning out to be a guard. Dalia's eyes widened as she abandoned the dining room's doors, trying to reach the main stairs. At the same time, Ifrena burst out of the throne room, shoving about a dozen guards away with one push. She noticed Dalia.

"Raincloud?" Ifrena asked.

"Spy-ssassin?" Dalia raised an eyebrow.

"Chey," Ifrena waved.

"'Sup?" Dalia waved back.

"RUN!" Chris wailed, flailing his arms about.

"WHAT HE SAID!" Chef shouted.

Dalia scampered up the steps, but more guards purged in from upstairs. Others had left the dining room, some reaching Dalia while others chasing the host, cook and other contestants.

"Get the f*** away if you value your miserable excuses of lives!" Dalia threatened the guards. "I know how to fake doing karate!"

The guards encircled the parade rainer, one of them knocking her unconscious with his fist. Ifrena struggled to reach her, but the soldiers kept on coming, and she had to flip many and shove others aside continuously.

"In here!" Gordon cried out, letting Chris run in while Cookie cartwheeled. Thorna and Sara followed, and so did Chef and Ifrena after the enemy's numbers became too great.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Thorna) So help me, if I see that stuck-up, strict grey-haired jerk...woah, wow, does this make me a major hypocrite?

(Chef) I have GOT to teach Chris how to fight. Dude's really bein' sought after these days, huh?

**End Confessional **

* * *

"Are they following us?"' Cookie squeaked, quivering worriedly.

"They probably wi..." Gordon began to answer.

"YOU! DON'T! GET! TO ANSWER!" Cookie bellowed, pointing her finger so that it was hovering just under Gordon's nose. Gordon flicked it away.

"I see she chasn't gained any IQ points, yet?" Ifrena laughed.

Just then, as Gordon predicted, an entrance opened up in the wall. More guards stalked through, charging straight for the seven of them.

"RUN AGAIN!" Chris exclaimed.

"LIKE WE'D DO ANYTHING ELSE!" Thorna pointed out as they hurried around a corner. Cookie accidentally stopped, and so Thorna rammed straight into her.

"Watch it!" Thorna snapped. "Trying to run for my life here!"

"Sorry," Cookie blushed.

Before the soldiers came and saw them, Chef opened up another room, herding everyone inside just as the soldiers passed by obliviously.

"Cha-cha! Ve made it!" Ifrena fist-pumped. "So vhat do ve do about ze king? Do ve kill him? I vould love to kill him. I found Chef's knife set and..."

Chef covered Ifrena's mouth as footsteps echoed from behind the door. They paused for a moment...

Then the doorway opened.

"Hello..."

"ATTACK!" Thorna and Cookie cried out simultaneously, jumping the person. Cookie's elbow knocked into Thorna's chest accidentally, making her fall to the ground painfully.

"I needed that to brighten my day," she groaned monotonously.

"Hey! Get off!" Marduk exclaimed in a panic, weighed down by Cookie's hands.

"Evil!" Cookie screamed.

"Whoa, whoa," Chris calmed her down. "Marduk, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help you, of course," Marduk answered matter-of-factly, forcing Cookie off of him and standing up to dust himself off. "You know, to get the castle back?"

"You have a plan?" Gordon raised his eyebrows doubtfully.

"Yes," Marduk confirmed with a nod. "I'll explain while we head upstairs."

"Speaking of heading upstairs," Sara interrupted. "Is Kane still up there?"

"Um...a-actually..." Marduk stammered. "He's kind of locked in the dungeon prison."

"WHAT?!" Sara gasped.

"We have a dungeon prison?" Chris questioned Chef. "Since when? I could've used it to keep and starve the interns or the contestants!"

"I didn't know about it," Chef gave a shrug.

"It wasn't on the blueprint we gave you, and we didn't show it on the castle tour," Marduk explained in a hurried tone. "Now do you want the chance to get your show back up and running or not?"

Everyone nodded and followed the boy out.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Chris) The kid better have some way to fix all this. Imagine how much hate mail I'll get if the show gets canceled!

(Gordon) Now could be my opportunity to set up some allies. Let's see: Dalia and Cookie are out. I don't exactly want Kane as an alliance member since I want to get rid of him, and not to mention the fact that he's probably friends with Dalia...but befriending him and persuading him to not trust Dalia and others would be in my best interest. For now, though, since he's gone, I'll start with Thorna or Sara...

(Thorna) (clutching her side) "I hope this doesn't keep happening with me and Cookie. If we somehow get the castle back and are able to continue the show, I might vote for her...I've gotta think strategy, though. Hm...

**End Confessional **

* * *

Kane awoke to a pounding headache. Clutching his forehead and groaning something unintelligible, he felt around him.

SMACK!

"Oh, crap, sorry!" Dalia exclaimed, prompting Kane to open his eyes.

"Sorry," Dalia repeated. "You kind of unexpected slapped me."

"And you did the same," Kane chuckled, shaking his head and getting to his feet. He looked around: he and Dalia were in a confined, crumbling room. Pale, chipping peach paint coated the walls and two benches lining each side of the cell. Kane determined it was a prison cell by the thick steel bars blocking them from the hallway outside, and across the hall was a similar barred room. In fact, they extended throughout the corridor.

"We're...in jail?" Kane scratched his head.

"Yep," Dalia answered sarcastically. "We're in jail for being too awesome...and also in my case, excessively morbid and threatening."

"Silence!" a guard shouted, walking in front of the bars on the other side. "You shall not speak for your duration here."

"Who are you?" Kane demanded.

"Well, _I_ am Jaxus," the guard responded. "But since you probably meant that in a general sense, I shall answer as such: we are guards of King Nikailo, who have brought you in to be held captive due to McLean's and the other contestants' noncompliance with the King's reclamation of the castle."

"And you have the legal right to do this how?" Kane raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly," Dalia rolled his eyes. Turning to Jaxus, she said, "So help me, when I break free of here, I will aggressively and sadistically mutilate your corpse before going out and giving every poor guard in this castle a lobotomy without anesthesia..."

"Silence!" Jaxus decreed once again.

"What are you gonna do if I don't?" Dalia scoffed. "Scold me to death?"

"I, uh..." Jaxus stammered. "Um...that would probably be the first idea in mind."

"Thought so," Dalia snickered.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Kane) Why are there cameras all over the place? Especially in prison cells? Anyway, trapped like this, with Dalia...how awkward can something be?

(Dalia) You can't keep me in here! You can't! (Jaxus from outside: "We can!") Stay out of my confessional, you asshole!

**End Confessional **

* * *

Marduk moved ninja-like past an open hallway, watching for guards. He then motioned for the others to join him. Continuing to lead, they soon found themselves at a bland-looking wooden door.

"So what exactly is your plan for saving my show and my dignity?" Chris asked the boy.

"It's kind of complicated," Marduk admitted with a half-hearted chuckle. "See, thanks to Mr. Worst-Dad-In-The-World's paranoia, he put the original counter-contract for the castle somewhere secret. Through this door, we can find the contract."

"And exactly WHAT should we expect when going through that door?" Gordon questioned him.

"And is there a way we can leave HIM behind?!" Cookie added fiercely, making wide hand gestures.

"I'd rather not have other people's hands in my face, thank you." Thorna scowled.

"Relax," Sara advised her former teammate. Then, turning back to Marduk. "So can we hurry up? Let's go save our show!"

"MY show," Chris argued.

"OUR show," Chef corrected. "Stuck-up son of a..."

"Ooch, I'm so glad I left ze show vhile it vasn't screwed up," Ifrena sighed in relief.

"Be careful," Marduk advised everyone. "There are probably dangers ahead."

Marduk opened the door, revealing a simple corridor. Everyone advanced onward.

Sara walked alongside Thorna. "Hey," she said.

"Hi," Thorna replied, glancing at the girl. "Have something to say?"

"Yeah." Sara's tone dropped to a grave one. "You know Dalia?"

"Define 'know'," Thorna chuckled.

"Will you join me in voting for her?" Sara asked in a pleading tone. "As an ex-teammate, we can still stick together, right?"

"Of course," Thorna nodded. "So...why Dalia, exactly? I mean, I probably don't have a better choice to suggest, but why?"

"Well, she's clearly up to something," Sara whispered so that Cookie and Gordon couldn't hear. "I don't know. The whole situation with her liking Kane, and even kissing him...or at least trying to kiss Nathan...whether she likes him or not, something's up. And I want to make sure we don't have to find out. So can I count on your vote?"

"Of c-," Thorna started to speak, but just then Gordon slowed down his pace to match Thorna and Sara's. "Hello," Gordon greeted them.

"Hi," Sara cautioned herself into the new conversation.

"Mind if I just talk to Thorna for a second?" Gordon requested.

"I don't think you..." Sara began, but Cookie bounced over to her, growling at Gordon.

"Can I have a talk," Cookie asked Sara, staring the entire time at the boy.

"Um...sure?" Sara answered hesitantly. "What about?"

Meanwhile, Gordon conversed with Thorna. "I'd just like to get to know the other team's players. I hadn't gotten a true opportunity to do so before, but now I can, so...how are you enjoying the game?"

"Danger around every corner, and a stupid host to lead us through it," Thorna grunted. "I'm having a blast."

Gordon laughed good-naturedly. "I understand. The challenges HAVE been more or less tiresome physically and mentally. And seeing as how the merge has arrived, we have even bigger problems."

"Like what?" Thorna inquired.

"Well," Gordon stated simply, "Some people might try to take advantage of your vote. Bad, bad people who just want to get through the game, and will bring their 'allies' to their knees once they've dealt with their enemies."

"Your point being?" Thorna narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"I am not one of those people," Gordon assured her. "However, I would like to know that someone else at least has the same idea in mind as to who they'll eliminate. Would you mind joining me in voting for...oh, let's say Cookie?"

"Why do you want her gone?" Thorna asked.

"For a start, she IS annoying," Gordon pointed out.

To this, Thorna nodded slowly.

"And aside that, she's simply out of control," Gordon confided. "If you've seen her during challenge days, she's been quite the eccentric, unpredictable person. Deluding herself into thinking Drew loved her, always acting cheery yet at times, especially now, behaving very hostile."

"Pretty crazy," Thorna agreed solemnly.

"Honestly, for our games and for our safety, she should really go," Gordon concluded, wearing a worried expression. "You have no idea how many times I pondered over when she'd just finally snap and attack one of our teammates. And plus, I don't trust her 'nice' attitude. It could've been a facade, for all we know."

Thorna was silent for a few moments. "...Can I leave my answer at an 'I'll think about it?'" she asked.

"Sure," Gordon shrugged indifferently. "It's obviously your choice. I just felt it to be my obligation of informing you of the threat she poses."

"And I'm grateful," Thorna thanked him. "I'll give you my answer once this is all done. I mean, we're definitely going to get the castle back, right?"

"I wouldn't be discussing any of this if _I _didn't think it was possible," Gordon smiled.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Gordon) I decided to extend my reach to the former Perilous Platypuses. Kane and Sara are a couple, which is just another way of saying nearly-unbreakable alliance. I can't exactly plan their demise with trying to put Dalia into the equation. And the person they'd be the most trusting of is Thorna...and maybe Cookie, though hopefully my words stuck with Thorna, and if I'm lucky, she could spread the voting choice to Kane and Sara as a result.

(Thorna) Two options. One from my former teammate that wanted to see me gone, and one from a person on the other team that I don't know well. Both seem pretty good to me. It's not like either Dalia or Cookie have really done something to offend me. I'll choose based on my final opinions of them. Both look crazy.

**End Confessional**

* * *

Jaxus dutifully stood at his position, nodding to other guards that passed by. Dalia and Kane each sat on opposite benches in the room, shifting uncomfortably every minute or so.

"Hey, guard dude!" Dalia whined. "I'm hungry. Do something about it."

"You'll be able to get food when we haul you off to your homes in a few hours," Jaxus informed her without looking at her. "All we need to do is capture your friends. So if you want to blame someone for your hunger, blame them."

Dalia clenched her fists in anger, but Kane shook his head at her. "Don't bother," he sighed. "No point in getting angry when there's nothing to do about it."

"We could slowly ware away two ends of a bar and get it loose, and then pound the guy on the head until his skull cracks?" Dalia suggested.

"If you feel like spending a century and more here doing that, be my guest," Kane grimaced.

The two fell silent, the only noise coming from a leaky pipe somewhere in another cell. Eventually, though, Dalia had had it.

"So did it disappear?"Kane asked. "The crush?"

"Oh, yeah," Dalia nodded fervently. "You could poke me and it wouldn't do anything...of course, poke me and I unleash hell on you."

"I'll remember that for later," Kane chuckled.

"So what do you think of me now that you know?" Dalia asked while glancing at her hands in her lap.

"I have no opinions," Kane said.

"Really?" Dalia probed.

"Really," Kane nodded.

"...Not the answer I was expecting," Dalia admitted with an annoyed tone.

"Do you WANT me to think a certain way of you?" Kane questioned her.

"...Really?" Dalia pressed on.

Kane rolled his eyes. "I honestly don't care. Whether you had a crush on me or not is not really my business, and in fact, I feel like a bad person for reading your booklet."

"So you forgive me?" Dalia queried.

"For what?" Kane half-smiled.

Once again, silence.

"You ARE a pretty awesome person, from what I gathered," Dalia smirked. "Of course, thinking about it now, I'd probably choose someone with a little more...personality."

"You think I have no personality?" Kane fake-frowned. "That's hurtful."

"Hey, I fell in love with your body first. I'm not ashamed to say it," Dalia laughed. "Don't we all?"

"But the body is not what makes any sane person stay," Kane added.

"Obviously," Dalia rolled her eyes. "I just wonder who'd appreciate my, er, UNIQUEhumor."

"I'm sure loads of people would," Kane reassured the girl. "Obviously, I preferred Sara since she had...I guess, according to you, LESS personality."

He frowned.

"I was joking," Dalia stuck her tongue out.

"But what made me stay was her attitude towards things," Kane explained. "It's kind of a funny story, how I met her."

"Care to tell a slightly interested girl who has nothing better to do than rot in a prison cell?" Dalia snickered lightly.

"Well," Kane began. "You could say I wasn't the smartest guy during my first few years of high school. In grade nine, I was known as the socially awkward nobody, really. And of course, thanks to our beloved society's upbringing, I was bullied."

"Ouch," Dalia winced. "That sucks."

"Yeah," Kane sighed heavily. "I also didn't have the most backbone. That belonged to Sara. One day, when the taunting evolved into a little more...PHYSICAL stuff, Sara was the first to step in and actually do something. By then, some others were helping out. The teachers wanted to suspend both the bullies and the defenders for fighting, but with persuasion from them all, united we made the bullies get what they deserved while we got away for doing the right thing."

"That sounds inspirational," Dalia smiled.

"Sara and I then hit it off, and after months of awesome friendship, I asked her out during the summer," Kane finished. "Happily together since then."

"'Cheesy' is the first thing that comes to mind," Dalia mocked jokingly. "No, but that was pretty nice of her, to stand up first."

"Yep," Kane nodded. "That got me to start finding confidence in myself, and I became happier than before, and made a few new friends. I got the voice I didn't have before."

"So Sara is..." Dalia began.

"The best thing to ever happen to me," Kane grinned. Then, his eyes went wide. "No way! Do you still have your booklet?"

"Why?" Dalia raised her eyebrows curiously.

"I need to check the date," Kane answered. "I think in two days, it could be our dating anniversary!"

"Cool," Dalia said. "You could celebrate making it to the final six together."

"I hope that in two days we'll be in the final FIVE, too," Kane added grimly. "As long as no one votes for either of us."

"If it makes you feel any better, I won't," Dalia told him.

"How can I be sure you'll keep your word?" Kane chortled.

"You can't," Dalia pointed out. "But honestly, I have bigger fish to scorch mercilessly..."

"The King requested that I bring the prisoners some nourishment in case they were famished," a guard told Jaxus as he entered.

"Wow, so formal," Dalia deadpanned.

Jaxus groaned, clearly displeased with this. "Fine," he grudgingly nodded for the guard to give the food. He passed it under the small opening beneath the bars.

Plain bread.

"Because I like my food barf-colored and tasteless," Dalia mumbled.

"Well would you look at that," Kane whispered in shock as a cockroach scurried out from under one of his slices.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Jaxus) Ugh, the kid's story about love was...strangely romantic and admirable. (Kane from the cell: "Quit eavesdropping!") So sorry!

**End Confessional **

* * *

Cookie secured an open area between the host, chef, cameo contestants and prince, and the two other chatting competitors. "Hi, Sara!" Cookie greeted the girl excitedly, bouncing around. "What's up?"

"Um, nothing much," Sara responded hesitantly. "So, um...whadaya need me for?"

Cookie stopped bouncing and gave Sara a somber look. "It's HIM!" She dragged out the 'him' in disgust.

"Okay," Sara nodded in understanding. "What about 'HIM'?"

"He's a HORRIBLE PERSON!" Cookie shouted, then covered her mouth. Luckily, no one was paying attention to her. "He talked to me and made me sad and made me vote out Drew who I really liked and who was a great friend and my only friend and now it sucks and I'm alone and I want REVENGE!"

"I'm sorry," Sara scratched the back of her head. "I kind of lost you at 'talked'."

Suddenly, Sara tripped.

And just then, an arrow shot over her, wedging itself into the other wall.

"What the...?" Sara wondered aloud, looking back to see that she stepped on a part of the floor that was really a button.

"Oh, crap," Marduk muttered.

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Chef asked.

"My mother's dead," Marduk replied monotonously.

"...My bad," Chef rubbed his arm sheepishly. "Uh...no hard feelings, right?"

Just then, arrows began to shoot out of each of the walls. However, they only came from midway between the walls, so everyone simply went onto their stomachs to avoid getting pierced by them.

"That was strangely easy," Cookie blinked.

The floor became an inclined slope, leading into a pool of crocodiles. Everyone began to slide down.

"I think there may have been a voice registering system here that picks up a certain phrase!" Marduk screamed to Cookie as they tumbled towards their doom. "So you quite honestly jinxed us! Thanks for that!"

Everyone grew quiet and gave menacing stares at Cookie while sliding down.

"Like I knew," Cookie crossed her arms in offense.

Chef slid past Marduk and squealed a high-pitch squeal. However, just before entering the water, he stretched his limbs and caught himself by pressing his hands and feet against the wall, wedging himself. The others slid into his back, a painful crunch sounding off.

"I think I need a kidney transplant," Chef wheezed as the hallway returned to normal and deadly arrows didn't bombard the entire place.

"Motion sensors," Marduk explained.

"You have old-fashioned traps yet technology?" Thorna asked.

"We might be royal, but we're still in the twenty-first century," Marduk scoffed.

"Where you're leading us better be worth it," Chris threatened the boy. "Did you know I was rated Best Currently Active TV Host two days ago by Celebrity Manhunt?"

"Your parents must be SO PROUD!" Chef threw his arms in the air after he stood up along with everyone else.

"What's behind the door?" Gordon asked Marduk, pointing to the aged, wooden door in front of everyone that they only now acknowledged.

"Behind it is the key to saving Castle Madness," Marduk replied smugly as he pushed it open, revealing a wide, grey, naturally-lit, dome-shaped interior. In the center was a small stool with a browning set of papers.

"The contract?" Chris asked, solidifying his stare on it. "Must...get...it."

"Lemme guess," Gordon exhaled. "Traps?"

Marduk nodded as Chris rushed towards the contract. Lifting it up triumphantly, he cheered, "HA-HA! Take that, you show-destroying king freak!"

"Voice registration activated," an automated voice spoke. The ground began to collapse beneath them.

"Jou idiot!" Ifrena exclaimed.

"Let's get out of here!" Sara ushered Thorna and Cookie over to Gordon, Chef and Marduk, with Ifrena going to grab Chris before a wide hole opened up beneath him. The eight of them hastily exited the room and reached the safety of the hall.

"Take it slowly," Marduk said. "And watch where you step."

The others nodded.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Chris) I got it! I GOT IT! MWAHAHAHA!

(Chef) I worry 'bout McLean...more often than what could be considered healthy.

**End Confessional **

* * *

"Okay," Thorna panted as they all reached the end of the hallway, where Gordon tapped on the bricks for everyone to escape. "So we got the stupid contract and risked our lives in the process. Now how do we get it SIGNED?!"

"That's the part I didn't plan," Marduk answered sheepishly.

"How about we save Kane from the guards!" Sara reminded everyone.

"And Dalia," Gordon added. "Not that anyone really wants to."

"Yeah, let's risk ourselves again," Thorna grumbled.

"WE HAVE TO SAVE DALIA!" Cookie exclaimed. "Don't worry, only ally! I'll save you!"

Shoving Thorna, Gordon and Sara aside, she rushed forward and tripped.

"This way," Marduk rolled his eyes as a bruised Thorna followed, glaring at Cookie. The others followed behind.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Cookie) I MAY need to think things through before doing them.

(Thorna) By the end of the day, you may see me in a stretcher.

(Gordon) It's cute that Cookie thinks others can help save her and defeat me.

**End Confessional **

* * *

Kane and Dalia held their hands to their ears while Jaxus had a hearty discussion with a bunch of other guards that had come in. One of them was telling a very animated story...

"So then Maria was like, 'If you don't lose your mother's chess set, I'm afraid we can't be together', and I was like, 'Well you know what? Screw you!'"

"Exactly what I would've done," Jaxus nodded. The others did the same.

"Make it sto-o-op!" Dalia dramatically pretended to sob.

Kane smacked his forehead.

Just then, the short thundering sound of a body falling to the ground rang through the prison corridor. It was followed by a couple more. No screams of pain occurred throughout it.

Ifrena then appeared in front of the cell bars. "Chello," she smirked smugly.

"Ifrena, you wonderful lunatic!" Dalia exclaimed in excitement and relief. "I'm admittedly glad to see you!"

"Hey," Kane waved.

"Ah, ze Lover Boy," Ifrena nodded to him. "Somevone viz your strength shouldn't be chere."

"I wasn't THAT good in the knight fight," Kane rubbed his shoulder and blushed.

"Just get us the heck out of here," Dalia frowned, to which Ifrena obliged, scratching at the metal bars until they fell apart.

"How did you...?" the two prisoners asked.

"Being a spy-ssassin chas many perks," Ifrena winked as the three of them gladly abandoned the prison. Once in the regular hallway, they met up with the others.

"Kane!" Sara cried out, bringing him in a tight embrace.

"Glad to see you're alright," Kane smiled, returning the hug.

"Hey," Dalia greeted Marduk. "You're still here?"

"You're not dead?" Marduk countered.

"Touche," Dalia said.

"Yeah, yeah, happy reunion," Thorna rolled her eyes, though a faint smirk crept onto her face. "So here's the deal. The son of the royal asshole led us to a counter-contract for the castle. We need to get it signed. Any ideas on how?"

"Hm." Gordon paced around. "Well, we can't just give it to him and expect him to sign it. We need to act."

"Putting on a performance, yes yes, good," Marduk nodded thoughtfully.

"Let's just pretend we're guards," Cookie suggested. "We already dressed up for a challenge."

"Cookie, you genius!" Chris squealed, hugging the girl. "My show is saved! I can still get paid!"

"It ain't all about you!" Chef narrowed his eyes.

"It's Chris McLean. It HAS to be all about him," Thorna snickered. "Now let's get that contract signed!"

Everyone cheered and headed back into the prison. One by one they ripped the armor off of the unconscious guards.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Cookie) I can't let the castle get taken by that king guy! If he did, I wouldn't be able to get REVENGE!

(Sara) When this whole season is over, I think I'm going to hate history class more. Next year I heard we're learning more about the medieval era... (groan)

**End Confessional **

* * *

The throne room was lively with corny dancing, pointless banter and the ungodly scent of alcoholic beverages wafting through the air. Through a crack in the entrance doorway, Chef spotted Nikailo well within the depths of intoxication, casually talking to the many guards clustering around him.

"Are we all ready?" he questioned the nine others with him.

"I look ridiculous in this." Chris threw his hands in the air and huffed

"You look just like everyone else in that room," Sara pointed out. "Which is what we need."

"I'm ABOVE everyone else in that room," Chris pouted.

"I'll go first and get my father away from everyone," Marduk spoke up. He was the only one not wearing a suit of armor. "I just hope this works."

"If it doesn't, then at least we tried," Cookie pointed out.

"'Trying' has no importance if we fail," Gordon countered.

"DON'T ARGUE WITH ME!" Cookie snapped, slapping Gordon aside. He crashed into the other contestants.

"Quit fighting amongst jourselves and get zis done!" Ifrena ordered in a fierce whisper.

Taking a deep breath, Marduk entered the throne room, followed by Kane and Sara in their armor

* * *

**Confessional **

(Gordon) I'm only the slightest bit concerned for my safety in the game...competition-wise and physically. Cookie may soon be out to kill me...if she isn't already.

**End Confessional **

* * *

"Move it. I can't see," Thorna snapped as she brushed Cookie aside to get a better view.

"Heeey, Dad," Marduk said as innocently as possible as he strolled over to where King Nikailo was seated on the throne.

"Ah, my boy!" Nikailo sang merrily. "We are celebrating taking back the castle. Would you...like a drink?"

"I don't plan on getting drunk in my life. Ever," Marduk moaned. "Hey, Dad, I have something to show you. It's...something that Mom would've wanted you to see."

The part about the mother seemed to at least click in Nikailo. The king waved away the other drunken party-goers and followed Marduk, Kane and Sara out of the throne room. As the doors opened, the others fled behind the wall that led to the stairs.

"Well, everyone, how are you...enjoying...the party?!" Nikailo threw his hands in the air and laughed in a fashion that could make a person worried about his sanity.

"Um..." Sara hesitated, unsure of what to say. "Oh, uh, we're having a blast! Yeah..."

"Excellent!" Nikailo responded, spontaneously breaking out into dance.

"Uh, sir," Kane spoke in a formal-sounding voice. "We have something for you to sign..."

"Sign?" Nikailo cocked his head to the side.

"Write. Your name. On," Kane replied slowly.

"Oh..." Nikailo said. "Well...THAT SOUNDS DANDY!"

Marduk face-palmed.

"It's Mom's, er, will or, er, something," Marduk insisted, his voice faltering.

Nikailo nodded with excessive bobbing movements. "I WILL...what do I do?"

"Sign a contract," Kane reminded him.

"...okay," the king nodded once again. "I need...a can."

"Pen," Marduk corrected, pulling one out and handing it to Nikailo's raised, shaking hand. Kane held up the contract, and Nikailo began to slowly scribble his signature... then, without warning, he became enraged.

"NO CONTRACT!" he bellowed, charging at Kane and pushing him to the floor. His helmet flew off as he dropped the contract, which Sara picked up. However, the crazed king grabbed it. Not wanting to rip the papers, Sara let go, letting the drunk man throw it towards the stairs.

"I've got it!" Cookie and Thorna both yelled, diving for it.

"Ow, my face!" Thorna gripped her cheek and nose tenderly while Cookie blushed and grabbed the papers just as guards began to exit the throne room.

"What's going on?" one of the armor-clad men probed.

"Your majesty!" a familiar voice called as its human source and almost a dozen others came down the stairs and pushed past the other teens. Jaxus examined the scene. "They escaped! ...It's YOU!"

Kane got up from the floor. "Let's go!"

"Sir," Gordon stepped forward, grabbing one of Nikailo's wrists while Marduk did the same with the other.

"NOW!" Thorna shouted to them.

"YOU!" Nikailo barked angrily at her.

"Stay back!" Ifrena warned the guards as she began to pinch necks one by one. Half of the guards turned their focus on her while the other half chased after the fleeing contestants and the kidnapped king.

"AH! CHEF!" Chris cried out, a swarm of guards blocking his way.

"I'm coming, Chris!" Chef assured the host, but the persisting wave of metal-covered enemies finally drove him towards the running teens.

"DON'T LEAVE ME!" Chris screamed.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Chef) What was I supposed to do? Even I have my limits.

(Thorna) (caressing her cheek) Ow. So not only did our plan royally start to collapse, but I get hurt AGAIN. Today isn't my day.

**End Confessional **

* * *

Cookie, Gordon, Thorna, Dalia, Kane, Sara, Marduk, Chef and Nikailo had all sprinted into the Lame Labyrinth. They continued until they reached a door, opening it to find a small sitting room.

"Are you okay," Sara asked Thorna. "It looks like it's swelling."

"I'll be peachy," Thorna chuckled, then stopped and winced. "Ow."

"Hey, Gordon," Cookie spat. "Maybe you should manipulate the king into signing the contract. It's what your best at."

"That's a lie," he quickly said, though no one but Cookie was paying attention to him. With a sigh, Gordon approached the king. "Sir?" he inquired with an innocent voice.

"Where's that rude little misfit with the grey hair?" Nikailo demanded, trying to turn around. Marduk pulled him by the wrists back around.

"Sir, you don't like the grey-haired girl?" Gordon asked.

"So annoying, that one." Nikailo coughed.

"This contract will kick her out of this castle," Gordon insisted, going over to Kane. "Do you...?"

"I kind of forgot it," Kane admitted with a frown.

"That's why I got it back." Sara strode over to Gordon and held it out for him to claim.

"Thanks," he nodded in gratitude, heading back to Nikailo. "All you have to do is sign this and she'll be gone."

"She's annoying," Nikailo repeated.

"Hey!" Thorna snapped.

"Shush, girl!" Chef silenced her.

"It will?" the king queried. "...Well, then."

Still holding the pen, Nikailo took the contract and finished the scribble of a signature.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Gordon) Obviously Cookie was right. Manipulation is my forte. And I'll further demonstrate that after this whole mess is cleared up and we get back to the game.

**End Confessional**

* * *

The effects of the alcohol in the king's system seemed to be waning. Nikailo blinked rapidly, and then looked up at his son and Gordon. "What the...what am I...what am I doing here?"

"Dad, it's over," Marduk informed the older male. "They got the castle back."

"Wh...WHAT?!" Nikailo shrieked. "THAT CAN'T...WHAT?! NO!"

"You signed the contract yourself," Thorna grinned evilly as she pointed to said contract in his hands.

"..." the king stared speechlessly at the black line that held his haphazard yet readable hand-writing.

"This cannot be!" Nikailo shook his head in denial. "It is ours! This is the place my wife died in! I cannot give it..."

"King Nikailo!" the guards called as they filed into the room. Two of them were restraining Chris while six were restraining Ifrena.

"Ze second you let me go, I start injecting you all viz lezal poison!" Ifrena bared her teeth.

"Men..." Nikailo breathed. "We...we're packing our things. The castle is theirs."

Nikailo gave a reluctant nod to the contestants.

"REALLY?!" Chris gasped, his face flooding with relief. "Oh, thank you, thank you!"

"Don't thank me," Nikailo grumbled. "Thank that boy."

He pointed to Gordon, who waved and gave a smile.

The guards released the host and spy-ssassin, quickly leaving before Ifrena could do anything to them.

"My boy..." Nikailo sighed. "...You aided them?"

"They just wanted to do their show," Marduk explained.

"...I see that now," Nikailo exhaled. "And to think you all went to such great lengths for this. I...I guess there's nothing I can really do now, anyways."

"I can't believe we did it!" Thorna and Cookie cheered, the latter wacking Thorna in the face once again.

"Yes!" Kane and Sara threw their hands up in victory.

"You're demented for locking us in a cell," Dalia narrowed her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Nikailo apologized.

"Eh-hem?!" Chris fake-coughed to get everyone to concentrate on him. "I'd like to say something. Since I was planning a challenge today, and due to the fact that our first contract doesn't allow us any more time here than what we reserved, today will still count as an elimination day. Since Gordon was the one who got his Majesty to sign the contract, he gets solo immunity."

"Good," Gordon said with a sly grin.

Cookie growled.

"Tonight you've all got to decide who among the five non-immunity winners will be leaving," Chris wrapped up. "Now head back to your beds. It's been a frickin' long day."

Everyone nodded and did as they were told. However, Dalia stayed behind. "So...are you going?" she asked Marduk.

"Looks like it," Marduk nodded, emotionless. "You were pretty fierce out there."

"Thanks," Dalia smirked. "And thanks for helping us, too."

"No problem," Marduk replied, sticking his thumbs into his pants pockets. "So...I guess I'll see you around?"

"Yeah," Dalia shrugged. "See you."

"Wait," Chris interrupted, stepping in front of the two teens. "I have a little surprise in store...Marduk, how would you like to join the Castle Madness cast?"

"REALLY?!" Dalia gasped.

"REALLY?!" Marduk gasped.

"Really!" Chris exclaimed cheerfully. "In exchange for your help, I will gladly give you a spot on our show. You'll be in the running for the five million dollars like everyone else."

...A moment of silence...

"...Nah," Marduk shook his head. "This show isn't my type of thing. Plus, I'm already rich, and it would also be unfair of me."

"You sure?" Dalia pressed. "Someone sane would be nice to have on the show. We could get to know each other better."

"We could do that some other time," Marduk shrugged, remaining emotionless.

"Um...what?" Dalia blinked.

"Well, if we wanna get to know each other better, we could...you know, go out some time?" Marduk clarified. "I mean...if that's okay with you."

"Yeah, it sounds cool," Dalia nodded, hardly trying to contain her grin. "I'd like that."

Marduk smiled before walking out of the room.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Cookie) WHAT?! But...GR! This is MY fault! If I didn't tell him to do his thing, he wouldn't have won! NOW WHAT DO I DO?!

(Gordon) Well, I think maybe Sara will be next on my list of who to convince to vote off Cookie. She's less of a threat than Kane, so more useful. Of course, that doesn't make her any less of a threat at her own level. Just not as immediate. And by separating Kane and Sara's vote, and since Sara's will be for Cookie, it should be bye-bye for the lunatic.

(Thorna) Well, today has been pretty...uh, AGGRAVATING to say the least. But now I have to focus on the votes. I guess I have no better option that who Gordon suggested. And maybe I could tell Sara and Kane to vote with me...I don't know how much I can actually trust them, or anyone. But I'll see.

(Kane) I'm not sure if I even have a target on my back, but now I've just gotta think about my vote...Dalia's not an option, though she may be Sara's. Gordon's immune, so that leaves Thorna and Cookie. Cookie's a nice person while Thorna is nice..at least I think. She seems good enough, but I can't be too trusting of anyone, in all honesty.

(Sara) My vote is definitely going for Dalia. I've already got Thorna with me, and Kane should see by now that she can't be trusted. I wonder what sharing a cell with her must've been like. Eesh.

(Dalia) Cool, I got a date promise from a guy! SCORE! Anyways, this is just perfect! The scheming bastard gets to stay. I have to keep Cookie since she's the only one who knows about Gordon so far. I'm gonna have to rope in Kane, and maybe Sara, though I bet she hates me. I can just feel the mistrust coming off of her. However, I can't vote for her...or at least I can if Kane doesn't know. He-he. I'll just pin it on someone else if need be.

**End Confessional **

* * *

Dalia went over to Cookie, who was sitting on her bed while shooting daggers at Gordon. "Hi..."

"Hi," Cookie greeted Dalia without turning to look at her.

"Since Mr. Votes-Your-Friends is safe, will you join me in voting for Sara?" Dalia asked. "It'll mean one less person for Gordon to manipu-."

"Okay," Cookie nodded curtly.

"Well...I'm glad we had this talk," Dalia said before walking away.

Meanwhile, Sara was about to approach Kane when Thorna intervened. "I have a proposition for you."

"What is it?" Sara inquired.

"Cookie's annoying and upredictable," Thorna began, trying to remember everything Gordon had told her. "Plus, she was kind of stupid today and hurt me a LOT."

"I can see," Sara chuckled.

"So...who do you plan on voting for again?" Thorna asked.

"Dalia," Sara answered. "She's creepy and I don't trust her."

"Oh, but she seemed to get along with Kane," Thorna pointed out. "She seems good enough. And plus, Cookie is a bigger threat game-wise."

"But..." Sara tried to speak.

"Please just go along with me," Thorna pleaded. "Honestly, I put my trust in you. Please try to keep an open mind, and remember I'm counting on you as a friend."

With that, Thorna left.

* * *

**Confesisonal **

(Sara) Dalia's still a person I want to get rid of...but I don't want to think Thorna can't trust me. We're friends now and I want to try and push towards a better relationship between us...yet at the same time, my gut's seriously telling me to vote for Dalia.

(Kane) Thorna it is. I could trust her, but when it comes down to it, she's still a little less reliable. Dalia and Cookie are definitely not enemies, and Gordon is just a quiet, loner kind of guy. Thorna's actually got some strength and, well, who knows if she really IS nice. I can't trust anyone but Sara and myself now...

**End Confessional **

* * *

The six contestants seated themselves on the wooden stools in the foyer, watching as Ifrena hopped into her plane outside. As it flew away, Chris began to speak.

"So, final six. Your first elimination in the merge. Nervous?"

"Just get on with it," Thorna stated with a hint of irritation.

"The first piece of gum," Chris said, "goes to...Gordon."

"Not surprising," Gordon rolled his eyes as he caught his gum.

"The next piece goes to...Kane."

"Thank goodness," Kane smiled, hugging Sara as he received his gum.

"Third and fourth piece of gum," Chris continued, "go to...Dalia and Thorna, the latter getting a vote."

"Still alive," Dalia commented as she held out her hands to get her gum.

"I got a vote?" Thorna asked herself as she, too, caught her gum.

"Alright, you both got votes tonight," Chris said in a soft, dramatically serious voice.

"I wonder who," Sara muttered sarcastically.

Kane tightened his grip on Sara's hands.

"The last piece of gum," Chris stated, "goes to..."

…

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…

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…

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"Sara," Chris called out, tossing the gum to her.

"NOOOO!" Cookie cried. "I can't go! I have to get rid of HIM!"

"What about 'him'?" Gordon calmly replied.

Cookie opened her mouth, but Chef barged in with her belongings.

"Bye," Dalia waved as Cookie was shoved out, where she passed the drawbridge and fell to the ground. The bridge was then reeled in.

"Final five," Chris declared. "That's what you are as of tonight. Enjoy, because the next time you come here, one of you will once again be leaving."

The five remaining competitors proceeded to the bedroom.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Sara) That little...Dalia voted for me! It must've been her. Well, just wait until I talk to her in the morning. She'll be sorry.

(Dalia) Now I think it's time for a little strategy from Dalia. This'll be something along the lines of, 'Who, me? Yes, you. Couldn't be! Then who?'

**End Confessional **

* * *

"Thank you for pulling through for me," Gordon thanked Thorna as he crossed the room to reach her bed.

"She had to leave," was all Thorna could say at the moment.

"Stick by me, and I promise you a spot in the finale," Gordon grinned.

"So, wait, this is an alliance?" Thorna raised an eyebrow.

"Call it what you will," Gordon shrugged. "It's more of a professional companionship. We both give suggestions of votes, and then decide based one observations. Besides, there are others who might not be as good of company as me."

"Yeah," Thorna nodded. "I wonder who voted for me."

"My guess? Dalia," Gordon replied. "She must've seen us talking, and assumed you were with me."

"Well, now I am," Thorna said. "So we're partners?"

Gordon nodded and held out his hand, which Thorna shook.

Sara and Kane were lying on Kane's bed. "We made it to the final five!" Kane exclaimed. "Excited?"

"Yep," Sara agreed. "But...what the hell happened at elimination? I got votes."

"I promise to get whoever did that," Kane vowed.

"It was Thorna," Dalia interrupted the conversation.

"How do you know?" Sara asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"She doesn't trust you anymore," Dalia answered simply. "It's clear as day. She must still have hard feelings towards you."

"But she said she and I would vote for Cookie," Sara insisted.

"That must've been to redirect your vote so she could take you out with another person's vote, which could've been Cookie, for all we know," Dalia explained. "Even Gordon."

"Yeah, we used to not trust him," Kane said thoughtfully. "But wait, you voted for...?"

"Cookie," Dalia answered quickly. "She was annoying."

"Fair enough," Kane nodded. "So it looks like we know our enemies."

"Uh...right," Sara said. "Uh...thanks for letting us know about this, Dalia."

"My pleasure," Dalia smiled before heading to her own bed.

* * *

**Confessional **

(Kane) Maybe it's time we get to know Gordon. He's the only person I haven't really talked to out of all of us. Maybe he's hiding something.

(Dalia) Why did I frame Thorna first? Uh, hello! Kane and Sara trust her! So if we get rid of Gordon first, then guess who's on the chopping block? ME! Unlike Gordon, I'm not arrogant to think I can sway everyone to see my way. Who knows how bad Sara's anger is towards me. Do I want to risk it? HELL NO! So getting rid of Thorna next will mean I get another step closer to the finale, and then I'll have to rely on immunity, since Kane and Sara are pretty much inseparable...oh, this game is so complicated.

* * *

**Confessional ~The Votes~**

(Kane) I vote for Thorna. With Sara and Dalia, we'll just get rid of the other two until we're in the final three. I trust Dalia, and I hope Sara will eventually trust her, too.

(Dalia) I vote for Sara. Even though I would've voted for Gordon if he was eligible, Sara's still a threat to me.

(Sara) I vote for Cookie. I have to start giving Thorna the benefit of the doubt. Otherwise, how can we build up on our friendship. I definitely don't want the old Thorna back, and she's a valuable ally, so...yeah, voting for Cookie.

(Cookie) The best option is Sara, I guess. But I swear, next time Gordon will DIE! ...Okay, maybe not die, but...er, lemme get Dalia to come up with something.

(Thorna) I vote for Cookie. Gordon seems smart, which is exactly the type of person I wanted to be aligned with from the beginning. Cookie is wild and could probably kill me if she stays longer, so it gives me satisfaction to get rid of her.

(Gordon) Oh well, Cookie. Looks like happy endings don't happen in real life, where you slay the villain and win. Reality is for those ready to do anything necessary to win. So thems the breaks for you.

**End Confessional**

**End Result: 1 vote for Thorna, 2 votes for Sara, 3 votes for Cookie**

* * *

**FINAL FIVE: Gordon, Kane, Sara, Thorna, Dalia**

"Boy, the drama is seriously picking up now!" Chris exclaimed to the camera. "At last everyone's strategizing! Who will win at this game, which has become a battle of wits? Will Sara and Kane's trust in Thorna decrease even more? Will Gordon successfully get rid of his next obstacle, Dalia? And will we finally be able to do an actual challenge?! Find out next time on TOTAL! DRAMA! CASTLLLLE MADNESSSS!"

* * *

**Author's Note: **I'm ba-ack! I'm immensely sorry for the hiatus. Despite what people think of others on the internet, we're not all robots (at least I hope not o_O) and therefore deal with a ton of real life stuff. But now I'm back and ready to finish Castle Madness HOPEFULLY by the end of the summer, so if you're bored at home in the heat/cold/respective environmental condition in your specific area, you can look forward to more Castle Madness chapters!

Also, if you aren't aware, I've posted another Total Drama competition fic called Total Drama Crisis. So if you enjoy CM, you'll no doubt love that one. So, yeah, another thing to check out if you're interested. :)


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